Where your allegiances lie
by Aerrow4Ever
Summary: What will Aerrow do when he is forced to choose between family and friends? Is there even a line that distinguishes the two? For all you Aerrow lovers out there like me! My first ever Fic, please be nice! AerrowXPiper
1. Something weird OR Capture at Dusk

Storm Hawks- Where your allegiances lie

Chapter 1- Something Weird/Capture at Dusk

"It's the Cyclonians!" Finn's high pitched scream could be heard throughout the Condor. The sirens were blaring as Aerrow ran onto the bridge.

"What is it?" He asked, standing by Stork's side.

"Cyclonians. And the Dark Ace is with them! Oh, we're doomed." Stork muttered. Finn and Junko glanced at each other nervously.

"Everyone, to your rides." Aerrow called to his squadron. The familiar sense of dread settled in his stomach as he leapt onto his ride with Radarr already in his side car. "Storm Hawks, lets fly!" The moment they were out in the open sky Aerrow felt his worry disappear as he was engulfed by the thrill of the flight.

All too soon twenty or more red skimmers came into view, with a familiar lean figure on the first one. The Dark Ace sneered at the approaching Storm Hawks.

"Aerrow, it's been too long!" He said mockingly.

"Dark Ace!" Aerrow spat back in recognition. "Take out the Talons, I got this one." He called to his team. Finn made two pistols with his hands and flew off.

"We got your back buddy." Junko gave the thumbs up before following Finn into the swarm of Talons.

Piper locked her eyes onto Aerrow's for a second, before he grinned to her and shot off in the direction of the Dark Ace. Piper watched him go in awe, she loved to watch him fight, moving so effortlessly through the sky, his green eyes sparkling with excitement, his red hair blowing around his handsome face. She mentally hit herself. _Handsome?! He's your best friend and your Sky Knight, nothing more!_ She told herself firmly. Before she could dwell on any more thoughts the Talons struck. There were so many of them she couldn't see anything but them. Taking out her staff with a twirl, she proceeded to attack them.

* * *

"You ready Radarr?" Aerrow asked his faithful co-pilot as they closed in on the Dark Ace. Radarr growled in affirmation. "Here he comes."

Igniting his blue daggers, Aerrow leapt off his skimmer to meet the Dark Ace in the air. Red and blue sparks flew everywhere as both men fought for an advantage, slicing and blocking as fast as lightening, their toned bodies weaving together in a ferocious dance. The Dark Ace took a swipe at Aerrow's head, narrowly missing him as he landed back on his skimmer.

"Ready to go down, Sky Knight?" He called as he turned his ride sharply around to face Aerrow.

"The only thing I'm ready for is to kick your butt again!" Aerrow shot back.

Driving their rides together they exchanged a number of blows from fists and feet. Aerrow felt his body already developing the new bruises. The Dark Ace pulled out his sword and shot at the side car. Too close to avoid it, the blast of energy struck its target and Radarr was sent plummeting to the wastelands, screeching angrily. Aerrow looked down and was relieved to see a parachute with the Storm Hawks emblem on it float gently down.

His moment of weakness earned him a swift kick to the ribs from the Dark Ace. Winded, Aerrow staggered back. The Dark Ace started a fierce assault, punching and kicking, and it was all Aerrow could do to avoid them.

One particular hit caught his jaw and his footing slipped. Suddenly the wind was rushing past Aerrow's face. As crazy as it was, this was the time when Aerrow felt most peaceful. _If I could just hover,_ he thought,_ forever, god, that's all I..._

"Aerrow!" Piper's panicked scream brought Aerrow to his senses again. His heart beat a little faster at her voice. In one smooth motion he deployed his glider and his descent slowed abruptly. Looking around he saw the Dark Ace flying in towards him, raising his sword to hit Aerrow as he passed. Quickly Aerrow de-activated his glider and grabbed hold of the Dark Ace's skimmer before he could stop him. Aerrow landed cleanly behind the Dark Ace and jabbed forwards with his daggers. The Dark Ace ducked just in time before the blade would have impaled his arm.

Now that he had the upper hand Aerrow held his blades before him, poised to strike. Just before he attacked, the Dark Ace spoke.

"Shame you never knew your parents."

Aerrow was taken aback. The random change of subject was almost too much for him to comprehend. He was an orphan. His parents were dead.

"What do you mea..." Aerrow never had the chance to finish his sentence before the Dark Ace ignited his sword and struck with a resounding crash.

* * *

Finn took aim at a Talon in front of him. "Oh yeah!" He shouted as said Talon crashed into another and took both of them into the wastelands. Typically, then his ride had to be cut in half. Screaming as he fell, Finn wasn't expecting a Talon to be directly underneath him. He landed painfully on a _very_ sensitive area, but had sense enough to punch the Talon off before he was shot off instead. "Must be my lucky day!" He said happily as he shuffled into the vacant seat. The radio buzzed and a Talon's voice said clearly, "Retreat, he's got him!"

Puzzled, Finn looked up to see the Cyclonians retreating, the Dark Ace up in front just out of view. Shrugging he said, "Oh well, we just kicked Cyclonian butt!"

Finn landed the skimmer on the deck and was greeted by Junko.

"High five! We sure showed them!" Junko exclaimed gleefully.

"Ha, we sure did! Come on, let's see how Stork's doing."

* * *

Finn and Junko walked onto the bridge to find Piper and Stork watching the Talons retreat from the window. Piper grinned at them as they approached, but her smile drooped slightly when she saw they were alone.

"Have either of you seen Aerrow or Radarr?" She asked. It sounded like a casual question but they could hear the anxiety behind it.

"You mean they haven't got back yet?" Junko asked worriedly.

"No, I lost sight of him a while back. There were too many Talons around me." Piper's voice was getting more worried by the second.

"That's odd." Junko said, "They were all around me too. I couldn't see a thing."

"Same here, it was almost like they were trying to block me. And by the way, I heard something weird on a Talons radio. It said, "Retreat, he's got him." Who got who?" Finn said.

Piper bit her lip. Something weird was definitely going on.

"There! Look!" Junko exclaimed, pointing at a tall rock where one furry blue thing could be seen jumping up and down and waving his arms at the retreating Talons.

"It's Radarr! But then, where's Aerrow?" Piper exclaimed.

"Um, guys, look at the Dark Ace!" Stork said suddenly, throwing Finn a pair of his peepers. Finn put them to his eyes and found the Dark Ace.

"What? I don't..." He went quiet. "Oh my god." There, on the back of Dark Ace's skimmer, bruised, gagged and tied up, lay an unconscious Aerrow.


	2. Master Plan

**Wow...my hands were just flying over the keyboard for this chappie! Enjoy :)**

Storm Hawks- Where your allegiances lie

Chapter 2- Master Plan

The Condor had never been so quiet. The four teens plus a rescued Radarr were all sat silently on the bridge.

Finn looked around at all of his friends gloomy faces. Junko had tears in his eyes. Stork had his head bent low. Piper's back was the only part of her that could be seen. Radarr was whimpering.

Junko met his eyes, and Finn realised that they weren't just upset about what had happened, they were scared. For the first time in their lives the Storm Hawks were leaderless, and they didn't know what to do. _Dude, how did that happen?_ Finn thought sadly.

Piper suddenly slammed her fists down on the table. Her entire body was rigid and her shoulders were hunched.

"Come on Piper, I know it seems bad now, but Aerrow's tough, he'll escape." Finn said, trying to boost everyone's morale.

"Nuh-uh, not if the Dark Ace himself caught him. He's probably halfway to Cyclonia by now." Stork said miserably.

"Stork's right." Piper said quietly but her voice firm, shutting up the two boys. "And the only way he's going to get out," she continued, turning around to face the rest of the Squadron, "is if we go and rescue him."

"Sneak into Cyclonia and rescue probably a top-security prisoner? Yup, we're doomed." Stork said.

"Are you mental Piper? We could never get Aerrow out of there!" Finn interrupted.

"Of course we could!" Piper exclaimed, her eyes glittering with a some what Aerrow-like daring gleam. "All we need is a distraction, some stealth capes and a bit of luck on our side."

The three boys looked dubiously at each other. Radarr leapt onto the table and growled at them.

"Guess we know whose side Radarr's on." Junko muttered.

"Come on guys, we've got to try and help him!" Radarr looked at Piper pleadingly. "You know he'd do the same for any of us."

Finn looked into Pipers eager eyes and then down at Radarr who was whimpering slightly now at them. He knew Piper was right.

"Well, looks like we better get the guns loaded up for our trip to Cyclonia." Finn said.

"Stork, set course for Cyclonia." Piper said, taking up her role as second-in-command.

"Fine, but it'll take at least a few hours to repair the Condor. She took quite a beating." Stork said.

"Whatever. I'll start making a plan." Piper said, her hope returning. _I just hope we aren't too late._

* * *

The Dark Ace looked back at the unconscious teen, and sneered. It had been too easy really. As soon as they had attacked, the Storm Hawks had separated, just as planned, so that they could be overwhelmed and satisfactorily distracted. Although it would have been good if one of them had at least been injured in the attack, Dark Ace hadn't really thought they would be. As much as he hated to admit it, the Storm Hawks were excellent fighters, and no roughly trained Talon stood a chance.

Aerrow had a huge black-blue bruise on the side of his head where the Dark Ace had hit him. It was a shiner, and probably wouldn't go away for a few days at least. The rest of his toned body had small scratches all over where he had taken the beating.

The Dark Ace smiled to himself again. The look of shock and confusion on the teens face when he had mentioned his parents made him want to laugh out loud. That one small sentence had been enough to distract him completely so he had no chance to defend himself. He was unconscious before he even hit the floor of the skimmer. Then had come the simple matter of catching Aerrow before he fell overboard and ordering a Talon to tie him up and send out the signal for a retreat. As much as the Dark Ace wanted to carry on fighting, Master Cyclonis' orders came first, and catching Aerrow alive had been the major priority.

Switching off the autopilot as Cyclonia came into view, the Dark Ace lounged back in his seat and headed towards a landing dock, the Talons behind him following.

It was easy to lift Aerrow off the back of the skimmer; he was so light. _Damn! If this kid is so light why can't I even budge him whenever we fight?_

The Dark Ace threw the teen to some Talons and ordered them to follow him to the Throne Room, Aerrow's feet dragging along the way.

* * *

Aerrow groaned as his head throbbed. It felt like his skull had been cleaved in two. A rough material was tied over his mouth so he couldn't speak and his hands were bound with thick rope. His daggers had been removed from his back along with his glider. He could hear heavy boots marching and two pairs of hands holding his upper arms while his feet dragged on the floor. _Wait a minute...I wasn't on the ground. I was on my skimmer, fighting the Dark Ace. The Dark Ace!_

As the memories slowly clicked into place, Aerrow managed to squint open his eyes. The first thing he saw wasn't encouraging. _Red sky, that's not good._

"Sir, he's waking up." A hesitant voice came into Aerrow's fuzzy head and it took him a moment to realise that he didn't recognise it. The next voice, however, was un-pleasantly familiar.

"Hold him up, let him find his feet."

Aerrow felt the grip on his arms tighten as he was lifted higher up and his feet found the ground. His legs felt shaky for a moment as they threatened not to hold his weight, then his sense of gravity returned and he was able to fully open his eyes.

The blood red sky overhead and the looming citadel was a clear sign to Aerrow that he was in Cyclonia. He realised that the two people holding his arms were two Talons and the voice he had recognised was the Dark Ace's.

"Welcome back to Cyclonia, Aerrow. Except that this time, Master Cyclonis is expecting you." He sneered and turned to lead the way into a long corridor of twisting hallways. The two guards pushed Aerrow hard in front of them and he could feel the tip of a spear digging into his back held by a third guard. The odds weren't great.

"Wha-ary-ou-akin-meh?" Aerrow's voice was muffled by the rag in his mouth. His voice was slightly raspy, but apart from that and the bruise on his head, his strength was slowly returning.

"Quiet!" The guard behind him hissed and jabbed the spear deeper into Aerrow's back, making him stumble.

"Careful!" The Dark Ace roared, making all three guards tremble. "One mistake and you could shock him to paralysis! Master Cyclonis ordered him to be brought to her _un-harmed_, even if he took a bit of persuading to come here." He shot Aerrow his famous sneer again and reached for his sword. He ignited it and held it at Aerrow's throat. One of the guards mumbled something about being a hypocrite but said it too quietly for the Dark Ace to hear. Aerrow flinched when the Dark Ace flicked his sword but relaxed slightly when he realised that he had only cut off the gag. Spitting it out, Aerrow tried to ask his question again.

"Where are you taking me?" He asked with as much contempt as he could muster.

"For another little meeting with Master Cyclonis." Dark Ace smirked and turned sharply to continue on down the halls.

The guards pushed Aerrow forwards again roughly and the tip of the spear lightly brushed the rope tying his hands together. This gave Aerrow an idea.

If he was forced to fight the Dark Ace, weapon less, tied up and still injured, there was no doubt that he would lose. But if he could beat the guards when they weren't expecting it and then run away, hide and recuperate for a couple of hours, he might be able to steal a skimmer and fly away without having to fight anyone except for a few guards here and there.

Just as they rounded a corner the Dark Ace stopped and two Cyclonians came out of a room where radio static could be heard.

"Radio every landing dock, entrance and exit to Cyclonia." Dark Ace told them. "Tell them to be on the look out for the Storm Hawks. We want to know exactly which direction they are coming from." With the Dark Ace occupied with the two Cyclonians and the three guards' grips' slack, now was the best chance of escape.

Aerrow delivered a swift first kick to the guard on his right: since his hands were tied up he couldn't use them to punch. Ducking out of the way of the spear he quickly swept the second guard's feet from underneath him. Aerrow could hear the guards yelling and knew he had only seconds before the Dark Ace intervened.

Timing his spin carefully, Aerrow turned on the spot, using the remaining guard's spear to cut away the rope on his hands. Now with his hands and arms free, Aerrow elbowed the last guard, dodged the Dark Ace with a somersault and tore off up the hallway.

Adrenalin pumped through Aerrow's body as his legs carried him away from the Dark Ace's yells, shouting at the guards to not let him escape. He weaved through corridor after corridor. Unluckily there where no doors to slip through and barricade, so all he could do was run as silently as he could.

Finally one door came into sight. It looked oddly familiar, but since it was the only door around, and Aerrow was tiring, he leapt at it. It opened with the usual sound and Aerrow stepped in. He realised why he recognised it.

It was the Throne Room, where he had first met Master Cyclonis and stopped her from using the Aurora stone to destroy all of Atmos. And sitting in semi-darkness on her throne sat Master Cyclonis herself. Only the bottom half of her face could be seen beneath her hood and the corners of her lips were twitching upwards in an evil smile.

Aerrow took a hasty step back and was about to turn and run when a blazing red sword was pushed under his chin again and his arms were twisted behind his back.

"If you value your life, I wouldn't struggle." The Dark Ace hissed in his ear, pulling his arms back tightly. Aerrow stiffened, but realised there was no way he could fight off the Dark Ace and Master Cyclonis as well, not to mention the ten guards now charging into the room. The sizzling red energy from the Dark Ace's sword was starting to burn.

Still holding his sword against Aerrow's neck, the Dark Ace released his arms and motioned for two different guards to take hold. They rushed forwards and held Aerrow's upper arms again, but much more firmly this time.

"Hold him this time." The Dark Ace snapped before walking up to Master Cyclonis and bowing low. The guards forced Aerrow down by his neck, but he resisted, and snapped his head up again as soon as possible. Master Cyclonis stood up into the red light and her hood stretched out so her whole face was visible.

"Aerrow, so nice of you to join us this evening." She said sarcastically.

"What do you want Cyclonis?" Aerrow spat. The Dark Ace turned and punched him in the jaw with such force that his head whipped sideways. Aerrow spat out the blood before looking up again with hatred in his eyes.

"It's Master Cyclonis to you." The Dark Ace said casually.

"No Cyclonian will ever be my Master." Aerrow shot back. The Dark Ace went to hit him again but Master Cyclonis stopped him by raising a hand.

"Enough. We wouldn't want you any more bruised than you already are now, would we, Aerrow?" She asked, still smiling in that disturbing way that lets you know something bad is about to happen.

"Are you going to kill me then?" Aerrow whispered, no hint of fear in his confident voice. Master Cyclonis' grin just widened.

"Oh no Aerrow, I have something much better in mind. You see, I want you to join me." There was a shocked silence as Master Cyclonis and the Dark Ace exchanged a look of triumph.

"I'll die before I join you!" Aerrow snarled, expecting to wipe the grins off their faces. Instead Master Cyclonis just smiled wider.

"That's exactly the kind of viciousness I'm looking for in my Talons, not just cowering idiots. You're a perfect candidate. You and the Dark Ace are not so different."

"I'm nothing like him!" Aerrow interrupted angrily. "And like I said, I'll die before I join you!" Master Cyclonis grinned wickedly.

"Well maybe this will change your mind." She clapped her hands twice and the door behind Aerrow opened. A guard walked in, dragging in a prisoner. He stopped by Master Cyclonis' side and turned the prisoner around to directly face Aerrow. Whoever it was looked shattered and hung limply in the guards arms. They groaned faintly and opened their eyes. Aerrow gasped in shock and horror.

"If you follow my orders, you and your friend here have nothing to worry about. You will be treated like a champion and the both of you will have every available luxury here in Cyclonia, just like the Dark Ace here."

Aerrow bared his teeth in anger and started pulling away from the guards. The two holding him were slipping all over the place with the pressure of restraining him, and two more guards had to come forward to help. They zapped him with a staff and he was forced to his knees, panting. He stared into the eyes of the prisoner and then into Master Cyclonis'.

"However," she continued sharply, "if you disobey even the smallest command, it will have consequences, terrible consequences, on not only you, but your friend here as well."

Aerrow's face turned from red to stark white in a matter of seconds.

"I'm sure you need time to think this over." Master Cyclonis said smoothly. "Guards, lock him in his cell. And do _not _let him escape."

The guards grabbed hold of Aerrow's arms again and hauled him to his feet. They dragged him out of the door as Master Cyclonis and the Dark Ace watched him struggle futilely.

"No! You can't do this Cyclonis! You can't do this! NO!"


	3. Decisions

**Right, firstly thankx 2 everyone who has reviewed already, they really made me smile :) and secondly, I'm sorry but I'm going 2 be evil and tell you that you wont find out who the prisoner is until at least chapter 9, mwa ha ha haaa!! But I'll try 2 keep updating every other day or so so it doesn't seem so long, Enjoy!**

Storm Hawks- Where your allegiances lie

Chapter 3- Decisions

The first rays of red sunlight shone faintly through the tiny window in Aerrow's cell. The dungeon was a solid, grey stone cellar in the lowest levels of Cyclonia. The guards patrolled the cells every half hour, with top-security prisoners under constant guard. Aerrow was currently the only one with three guards outside his cell all the time. The door was made from solid wood with metal bars serving as a window.

Aerrow was sat scrunched up in a corner with his knees at his chest and his back at the wall. His arms were wrapped around his legs and his forehead rested on his knees, with his red bangs shading his face from view. The night had been uncomfortable enough lying on a stone floor for a bed, but now that it was morning he felt worse than ever. His entire body was stiff and the right side of his head throbbed each time he breathed in or out.

The guards outside spoke loudly enough for Aerrow to hear. A few new, younger voices were added before the old voices faded away with the sound of boots. Aerrow paid them no attention. It was just the change of shifts.

"Who's in there then?" One of the new voices asked.

"How would I know, just got here didn't we?" Another replied.

"I was just asking."

"Yeah, you're always 'just asking'."

"Shut your traps. We've got at least an hour here and I'm not gonna spend it listening to you two argue!" A third voice cut in. They went silent for a while before the first voice spoke again.

"So who's in there?"

"Say's here it's the Sky Knight of the Storm Hawks." Three eager faces pushed up against the bars to stare at the hunched figure of Aerrow.

"Oi, prisoner!" Aerrow didn't respond. "Look at us when we talk to you!"

"Give him the shock." Another said.

The walls buzzed with electricity as a button on the outside was pressed. Aerrow felt a shock run up his spine, (the shock was to stop prisoners banging on the walls or trying to break them down). He leapt to his feet but let no sound escape from his lips; he didn't want to give them the satisfaction.

He glared at the guards as they stared at his face.

"That's a kid, not a Sky Knight!" The first voice exclaimed.

"Is someone pulling our legs?" The second asked.

"Doesn't look like it." Said the third. "Look at this." The two faces disappeared from the door. "Says he's the one that keeps defeating the Dark Ace and messing up Master Cyclonis' plans."

Aerrow sat down again and returned to his earlier position. _Come on Aerrow, you've got to think of something!_ Aerrow put his head back on his knees and closed his eyes. The voices carried on reading the messages left outside Aerrow's cell, but Aerrow just blanked them out.

" 'Caution. Extremely dangerous prisoner.'"

" 'Do not loosen grip when restraining, is very good at escaping.'"

"Ha! I don't buy it. Let's let him out and see what he can do!"

"I don't think so." Interrupted a smooth voice. The other voices died out immediately. There was the sound of keys being pressed and the door swung open. Aerrow didn't open his eyes or look up. He heard someone walk into the cell followed by the hasty march of the three guards as they filed in after.

Finally Aerrow opened his eyes and lifted his head to see who had entered. The Dark Ace was standing at the other side of the cell with the guards behind him.

Aerrow jumped to his feet, despite the pain in his head and his aching back. Without thinking, he lunged at the Dark Ace. Instead of attacking back, however, the Dark Ace dodged to the side and Aerrow went tumbling into the guards. They pushed him up and one of them aimed a punch at him. Switching to defence mode, Aerrow dodged and kicked the guard in the chest so he hit the wall behind him. Even though he was in pain, Aerrow was still lightening fast and his skill undiminished. The guards yelled in shock as they were punched, elbowed or kicked.

As soon as the Dark Ace stepped in it was over though. He just dodged Aerrow until he was able to grab Aerrow's arms and pull them behind his back. He pulled out a pair of handcuffs and snapped them onto Aerrow's wrists.

Aerrow knew when he had lost and offered no resistance as the guards pulled themselves up and took hold of him so the Dark Ace could lead the way again. The Dark Ace looked at the guards with disdain.

"Still think he's no threat?" He asked them coldly. They all shook their heads sullenly and held on tightly.

Aerrow wondered why the Dark Ace had let Aerrow attack the guards. _Was he trying to give me some credit?_ Then it clicked. The guards had insulted the Dark Ace even more than they had insulted him by calling him a kid.

The Dark Ace ignored the guards and turned to Aerrow with a sneer.

"Master Cyclonis awaits." He said, before leading the way out of the prison.

* * *

Master Cyclonis was waiting for them when they entered her Throne Room. She was standing in front of her throne again and smiled her twisted smile at Aerrow as he approached. He didn't look up. He kept his head low and his eyes to the floor. He didn't even resist, much, when he was forced into a bow.

"Well Aerrow, have you reached a decision? Remember what will happen if you refuse me."

Aerrow didn't move for a moment. Then he raised his head up and looked Master Cyclonis in the eye...

* * *

**Sorry if that was a bit short, a bit of a nothing chapter really, but it helps move the story on and hopefully keep you hooked :)**


	4. To fight, or not to fight

**Sorry for the cliffhangers but they are really fun 2 write :) Here's chapter 4, Enjoy!**

Storm Hawks- Where your allegiances lie

Chapter 4- To fight, or not to fight

The Condor flew swiftly onwards to Cyclonia. Stork was piloting the ship as usual while Piper explained the plan, yet again, to Finn and Junko.

"Aerrow is a prisoner, and they keep prisoners in the dungeon." Piper explained very slowly. "The dungeon will be at the bottom, so we need to get right into the heart of Cyclonia so we can free Aerrow."

"Unless he's already been executed." Stork said miserably. "If I was Cyclonis, I'd want him out of the way as soon as possible."

Piper looked a little upset at this thought but plastered on a falsely confident smile.

"No, he's still alive." Turning back to the maps of Cyclonia on the table, Piper silently added, _I hope._

All of a sudden the sirens blared into life, screaming their warning. Stork pulled down the periscope and moved around as he searched for the danger.

"Um, I think, the Cyclonians saw us coming." Just five skimmers could be seen in the distance.

"We can take them!" Finn yelled over the sirens, punching the air.

"The Dark Ace is with them." Piper added quietly from the window. Finn's smile disappeared.

"Well, we could just...uh...we can still take, er, most of them?" Finn's shoulders drooped and he spoke dejectedly without any of his usual bounce. "We need Aerrow."

"He's not here Finn." Piper snapped, already halfway to the door. "So we're going to have to handle this, alone." She smiled to herself as she remembered Aerrow saying exactly the same thing before their first fight with the Cyclonians. "Come on!"

Their engines roared to life as the Storm Hawks took to the sky. Since Radarr had no-one to ride with he stayed on the Condor with Stork. They flew directly for the Talons and the Dark Ace, who were now stationary in the air.

As they got nearer Finn took aim at the Dark Ace with his crossbow. Then he noticed how one of the Talons was sitting rigidly, as though uncomfortable with his clothing and ride, and he was riding next to the Dark Ace. _I thought they were never supposed to be in front of the commanders unless ordered to._ Switching his focus to the Talon on the right of the Dark Ace, Finn tried to see beneath the goggles and helmet. The Dark Ace signalled to the Talon, _who argued back!_

Finn brought his ride to a hover and sensed, rather than saw, the rest of the Storm Hawks do the same. It seemed they were all taken aback at the strange Talons' actions. Most of the Talons trembled when a commander even _looked_ at them. And stranger still was the fact that the Dark Ace wasn't angry. In fact, he seemed to be smiling in his evil way while he signalled again.

Reluctantly, but slightly eagerly at the same time, the Talon pulled off his goggles and his helmet in one swift movement and threw them hatefully overboard. The Talon looked at the Storm Hawks with an unreadable expression. They all took in the shocking emerald green eyes and fiery hair in one glance.

"Well, guess rescuing Aerrow will be easier than we thought." Finn said in a shocked voice, slightly breathless.

* * *

The Dark Ace watched Aerrow's expression. Surprisingly, if the teen was feeling any emotion at all he was hiding it extremely well. Aerrow's eyes stayed glued on the Storm Hawks.

"You know what'll happen if you fail to follow orders." The Dark Ace said. Aerrow didn't look at him but nodded stiffly. Aerrow's cuts and bruises from their previous fight and his time in the dungeon were gone; Master Cyclonis had a rare healing crystal and had used it on Aerrow. The Dark Ace handed Aerrow his twin daggers, but instead of the usual two blue striker crystals in the ends, there were two red firebolt crystals. Aerrow took them and looked at the crystals with disgust. "Remember, three hours. Master Cyclonis is not a patient woman."

The Storm Hawks watched the Dark Ace turn to Aerrow and hand him his weapons. Piper looked at Aerrow's stony face and couldn't believe her eyes.

"What's the Dark Ace saying?" Finn asked as the Dark Ace spoke quietly to Aerrow. Piper tried to read his lips, but he had already finished talking and was just smiling nastily now.

"I don't know, but I don't like this." She said, cutting off as Aerrow started towards them.

The rest of the Talons and the Dark Ace held back, so it was only Aerrow. His face was still un-readable.

"Aerrow?" Piper called out cautiously, there was something foreboding about Aerrow flying directly for them.

Before she could say any more, Aerrow let loose a blast of red energy at her. With a yelp she ducked and just missed it. She still felt it singe the top of her hair. The next thing she knew Aerrow was speeding straight at her.

The Storm Hawks flew in different direction, dodging the many blasts from Aerrow's daggers, un-willing to attack back.

Junko had to do a barrel roll to avoid a blast to his head.

"Whoa! Aerrow it's us!" He shouted. Aerrow just kept on coming at him.

"What are you doing? Aerrow, stop!" Piper yelled. Aerrow turned upside down and took a swipe at her which she had to raise her staff to block. _Holy Atmos! I never realised how strong he was!_ She struggled against him, but when she glimpsed his face it was free from any strain, and she had a strange feeling in her heart that he had refrained from putting any real effort in the blow, before he had passed her.

Finn activated his crossbow in his skimmer and it unfolded neatly.

"Dude, don't make me do this." He moaned as Aerrow headed for him.

Reluctantly, Finn took aim at Aerrow and released a few testing shots. To his surprise, Aerrow blocked them as easily as he would have swatted away a fly. With more determination, Finn fired multiple times at him, but still Aerrow didn't even break a sweat.

Before Finn could react, Aerrow shot a smaller blast at his chest. The full power wasn't in it, but it was enough to knock Finn off his skimmer. Aerrow took aim at Finn's screaming, falling body, but hesitated.

Piper saw Finn fall and Aerrow aim at him. Racing at Aerrow, she knew she would be too late. But then Aerrow paused and his arm drooped slightly. Looking in his eyes, Piper was relieved to see a flash of emotion.

She slammed into his skimmer and swung at him with her staff ready. The momentary distraction gave Junko time enough to catch Finn and return him to his skimmer which was still in hover mode.

Piper tried to strike Aerrow in the arm, but he rolled sideways before she could touch him. His skimmer did a 360 but when it righted Aerrow was no longer on it. Looking down, Piper was shocked to see Aerrow diving headfirst with his arms by his side. _He really is fearless._ She mused. _I just wish we knew why he was fighting __**us**__ instead of the Dark Ace._

Snapping her eyes back to his plummeting body, Piper saw him throw open his glider and soar back up to where Junko and Finn were. She opened her mouth to yell a warning, but was too late.

Finn screamed as Aerrow appeared suddenly on the front of his skimmer with his blades in hand. Aerrow swung at Junko's engine and connected. It sputtered and Junko dropped alarmingly, but the blow wasn't deep enough to have done any real damage.

Finn shot Aerrow in the stomach with his crossbow and winced as he heard Aerrow's sharp intake of breath. Half falling, half diving backwards off Finn's skimmer, Aerrow landed on the wings of his Talon switchblade and jumped into the seat.

The Storm Hawks surrounded Aerrow, all aiming their weapons at him.

"What's going on Aerrow?" Piper asked. Aerrow closed his eyes and Piper saw a tear leak out onto his cheek.

"I'm sorry guys." He muttered, his voice wavering slightly as a tear leaked onto his cheek. They didn't know what to say; they had never seen him cry. Before they could stop him Aerrow leapt up as a red aura surrounded him and wings sprouted at his sides. The Storm Hawks scattered as the full power of the lightning claw swept over them, rocking their skimmer's violently. They heard the Dark Ace laugh mockingly.

Piper beckoned to Junko as Aerrow took aim at Finn again. Piper came up to Aerrow's right side while Junko came to his left without him noticing.

Turning on the power in her staff, Piper swung wide, trying to shock him. As she knew he would, Aerrow spun away to his left too fast for her to follow. What Aerrow didn't know was that Junko was waiting with his knuckle busters activated.

"Sorry." Junko said anxiously as Aerrow realised his mistake as he spotted the green glow. Junko punched Aerrow in the head and there was a sickening crunch. It was a soft blow to Junko, but it was even stronger than the Dark Ace's had been to Aerrow.

Aerrow slipped sideways off his skimmer and went limp. Panicked, Piper grabbed his arm and pulled him onto her ride. Junko came and put Aerrow on his skimmer since it could take the added weight easily, whereas Piper's Heliscooter was really only designed for one.

"Did I hit him too hard?" Junko asked worriedly, staring down at Aerrow's limp form with puppy dog eyes.

"No," Piper said, quickly checking his pulse to find it steady, "He'll just be out for a while, that's all."

"I don't think we need to worry about him, we need to worry about _him_!" Finn yelled, pointing at the Dark Ace's cold face.

"Back to the Condor, we know we can't fight the Dark Ace and expect to win, not without Aerrow." Piper said, glancing at the Dark Ace before speeding back to the Condor with the rest of the Storm Hawks in tow.

* * *

The Dark Ace watched the Storm Hawks retreat with contempt. _Cowards,_ he thought.

"Shouldn't we attack, Sir?" A Talon asked.

"Let them go, he knows what will happen if he tells them about Master Cyclonis' plans or doesn't make it back in time. Return to Cyclonia."

The Talon nodded obediently. The Dark Ace turned his skimmer around and led the way back to Cyclonia.

* * *

**Fight scenes are hard 2 write, but I hope this one came out ok. Go on, that pretty blue button saying GO is calling 2 u, u know u want to clik it!!**


	5. Traitor? ?

**Sorry I havn't updated in a while, its weird that by starting my own fic I now understand exactly what people mean when they say they've got serious writer's block! But it's gone for now (i hope!!), so Enjoy!**

Storm Hawks- Where your allegiances lie

Chapter 5- Traitor??

All the Storm Hawks were on the bridge, crowded round a sofa with Aerrow lying on it. His head had a new bruise on it where Junko had hit him, but thanks to Piper's crystals it was fading rapidly and wouldn't hurt.

Piper was kneeling next to Aerrow, a wet cloth in her delicate hand as she softly dabbed at his forehead and treated his other injuries. She brushed a lock of red hair off his face and watched him sleep fitfully as he was plagued by nightmares. _He always seems so strong, but really he gets even more hurt than any of us do, he just doesn't want to show it. I can't believe I never asked if he's alright after fighting the Dark Ace, and, God I'm so stupid! That's why he always goes straight to his room after a battle, so he can patch himself up!_

Resuming her work, Piper couldn't stop a faint blush tinting her cheeks. As much as she didn't want to admit it, whenever he smiled at her, or stood next to her as they bent over a chart or map, so close she could almost hear his controlled breathing, it sent her heart racing.

Radarr was sitting next to her, his paws on Aerrow's arm as it hung over the edge of the sofa. His sharp eyes never strayed from Aerrow's face as he watched his best fried carefully.

Stork had parked the Condor in hover mode so he could stand by Aerrow's feet. It was unusual for him to show any kind of emotion except for paranoia or sarcasm, but it was easy to tell that the merb was troubled. _I hope he isn't infected with mind worms._ Stork though miserably, but for once he wasn't worried about himself.

Junko was sat on a chair, eating, his puppy dog eyes too nervous that he had hurt Aerrow to look at him, even though Piper had reassured him that Aerrow would be fine.

Finn was leaning against the sofa, his face full of worry and confusion. He was the first to break the silence.

"He betrayed us." The others were shocked at his words.

"No, Aerrow would never betray us!" Piper snapped.

"How can you explain what just happened then?" Finn asked, almost pleadingly, as if he wished he could find a different explanation. "He attacked us Piper. Us. Not the Cyclonians. He's wearing a Talon uniform, he was riding a Talons' switchblade, for God's sake Piper he has firebolt crystals in his daggers! The daggers we got him the day he was knighted." He added at the end, turning around to hide his face.

"But couldn't you see Finn? He wasn't going full out on us! He could have whooped all our butts if he had really wanted to, he's our Sky Knight after all, but he didn't. And anyway, Aerrow loves being a Sky Knight, Finn. You know that. You're his best friend!"

"I don't know what I'm supposed to know!" Finn exclaimed turning around to face them again. He stared at them all angrily before his eyes softened and he dropped his head and spoke gloomily. "I know he loves being a Sky Knight, he was like a brother to me before he left for the Academy, and he still is now. I just want to know why he'd do this to us."

Junko stood up and put a comforting arm around Finn's shoulders. Radarr whined and Stork shook his head.

"He's like a brother to all of us Finn." He said, surprising the others. "He holds us together. We'd be nothing without him." Everyone knew he was right.

Aerrow shifted slightly and his breathing quickened.

"I think he's coming round." Junko said, stating the obvious.

Aerrow groaned and rolled his head.

"That's it, next time, I'm wearing a helmet." He muttered groggily as he slowly opened his eyes. The Storm Hawks gathered round anxiously.

"Hey Aerrow, how you feeling?" Piper asked softly.

"I'm fine, how long have I been out? I feel a little-" Aerrow cut off as he took in his surroundings and his company.

"Just under an hour, it's seven." Finn said.

"Aerrow, what's going on?" Piper asked.

Aerrow suddenly sat bolt upright, making the others jump backwards.

"Dude, you should stay down...Argh!" Finn yelled as Aerrow pulled out a small metal knife and brandished it at Finn, cutting his sleeve but just missing the skin. Aerrow leapt to his feet and started for the door to the hanger bay. Junko tried to grab him but Aerrow swung the knife at his hands and ducked out of his reach.

When he was about a yard away from the door Piper jumped in with her staff. He plunged the knife forwards, but it was a slow stab with not much power behind it, designed to make her move out of the way, but Piper saw behind the ruse.

Ducking quickly but not away from the door, Piper inserted a Paralyzer stone in the end of her staff. She thrust if forward and pulled the trigger.

The end of the staff didn't touch Aerrow as he jumped out of the way, but it didn't need to. An icy burst of energy smothered Aerrow from head to toe and he was instantly paralyzed, unable to even twitch an eyelid.

Piper put her staff down and hurried to Aerrow's side. The Paralyzer stone had worked perfectly, he wouldn't be able to move for fifteen minutes at least.

"You froze him." Finn said incredulously, but sounding slightly impressed.

"I had to." Piper said sadly. "You were right Finn, he is a traitor."

"No way, I'm wrong as usual." Finn said cheerfully. Piper stared at him as if he was crazy. He showed her the cut in his sleeve.

"You see that? It's, what, like two inches long, and didn't ever touch my skin. I was right in front of him, it would have been easier to stab me in the heart or stomach than reach out for my arm. You're right, he isn't trying hard at all. Remember how he had been really stiff when the Dark Ace spoke to him? Didn't look happy at all, did he? And if I guessed right I'd say he was only attacking us properly, and only occasionally, because the Dark Ace was watching."

The Storm Hawks were gob smacked.

"Finn, I think you just said something clever." Stork said in amazement. Finn smiled and pretended to shoot his pistols.

"Junko, can you put Aerrow in his room? Put him on his bed so he doesn't fall over when the crystal wears off, it doesn't half make you dizzy." Junko nodded at Piper and carefully lifted Aerrow up in his strong arms and carried him off the bridge. "Stork, do you think you could put something around Aerrow's room? Like a force field, so he can't get out." Stork paused in thought before nodding.

"I'm sure I have something in my anti-flea box." He admitted.

"Excellent, then we can ask him what's going on without him hurting us or himself." Piper said, smiling, thankful for being part of such a great squadron.

* * *

**Wow...Finn said something clever!! he actually picked up on something!! lol! plz give me sum reviews it's stayed at 18 for at least 2 days!! :(**


	6. Night Time Escape

**Quite a long chapter now, but I had fun with this one :) As evil as it sounds, I love Aerrow torture! Enjoy!**

Storm Hawks- Where your allegiances lie

Chapter 6- Night time escape

A booming crash echoed across the Condor and Piper jumped up from her perch by the window on the bridge. A door opened and Finn came skidding in. He paused to catch his breath and motioned at the door.

"Aerrow's awake." He panted.

Piper and Finn walked briskly to Aerrow's room. Since he was the Sky Knight it was the biggest, but it was also the furthest away from the bridge.

It wasn't hard to find Aerrow's room; the continuing crashes told them exactly where to go.

"What's he doing?" Piper asked Finn.

"Trying to tear his way out of the room by the sound of it." Finn replied grimly. "It was pretty lucky really. Stork just set up the force field a couple of seconds before Aerrow un-froze. I thought you said he would be paralysed for at least fifteen minutes, but it's only been, like, ten minutes, if that!"

"Since when have we ever been able to stop Aerrow?" Piper asked sceptically. "When Aerrow's mind is set on something, nothing and no-one can stop him." Finn nodded reluctantly.

They stopped outside Aerrow's room to find a very shaken looking Stork. He didn't say anything, just twitched his eye at them before walking off to the bridge again. That was the only place Stork ever felt (moderately) safe: when he was behind the wheel. Finn and Piper glanced at each other before pressing the button to open the door and walk in.

Piper felt slightly curious as they entered Aerrow's room. It was one of those places that none of them had ever really been. _He's my best friend, but I barely know anything about him._ Piper mused as she looked round his simple room. It was nothing special; plain coloured walls, neat bed, wardrobe, bookshelf, and a picture frame by his bed. Piper and Finn both looked at it curiously.

It showed a slightly younger looking Aerrow in simple clothes. Radarr was perched on his shoulder, as usual, but also looked a little younger. Aerrow's face had a broad smile over his face as he raised two old daggers to face the camera like he was about to shoot the photographer. _It must be the day he was Knighted_, Piper thought, _that was when only Finn knew him, at the Academy._ She smiled slightly at the thought of Finn becoming a Sky Knight, but he had been rejected by the Academy. Aerrow had become a Sky Knight and eventually found Finn again when he asked him to join his Squadron. Then he had found everyone else, including her.

_Finn's Flash back_

_Finn and Aerrow sat on the swings in the park, neither of them moving or talking. Eventually Finn broke the silence with a sigh._

"_So, you're gonna be a Sky Knight, dude."_

"_Only if I pass the training." Aerrow said sullenly._

"_Don't worry, I bet you'll come top of the class." Finn grinned at Aerrow, who returned the grin half-heatedly. "You know you're the youngest to be accepted in, like, forever! You'll be fine!"_

_Aerrow smiled sadly and gave a sigh._

"_But you won't be there. And you know we won't see each other for at least a year." Finn knew Aerrow was scared of going by himself. He was confident and daring when he was around any of his friends (just Finn), but he lost his nerve around anybody else._

"_To be honest, I don't think the whole Sky Knight thing is for me. Too much hard work." Finn flashed a cocky grin. "It's the sharpshooters who get all the girls!"_

_Aerrow laughed and his face split into a proper smile at last._

"_Who knows," he said, "Maybe one day if I finish my training, I'll come find you, and we can start a squadron of our own."_

"_Yeah, that would be cool."_

"_I'll see you round Finn." Aerrow stood up and turned to Finn, smiling. "Don't you go joining another squad while I'm gone."_

_Finn returned the smile. "I won't dude." Aerrow turned and walked away with a final wave of his hand. Finn waved back sadly. "See you round Aerrow."_

_One year later_

_"Finn, there's a boy at the door here who says he's looking for you." Finn's mother called up the stairs. Finn came running down to the door, wondering who it could be. His mother had already gone back into the kitchen, leaving the door halfway open. Opening it fully, Finn looked out at the fourteen year old boy standing at his door._

_"Do I know you?" Finn asked. The boy was wearing a tight red, blue and silver uniform that looked like it had been made up of lots of scraps of material. There were several plates of armour along his chest and stomach, over his heart, on his shoulders and on his calves up to his knees. Two rusty handles were just visible on the boy's back and a strange...something was perched on his shoulder. It looked like a dog, no a rabbit, or, well, something like that, and it was eyeing Finn cautiously. The boy was standing tall and straight-backed like a soldier, but there was a certain air of disobedience and recklessness in the air around him. His toned, but not bulgy muscles were visible beneath the uniform all along his chest and crossed arms. Finn didn't recognise the boy at all, until he spoke. _

_"I should hope so." The boy said in a confident voice with a smile. Finn knew that voice. And that smile. He just now looked into the strangers face and noticed the bright red hair and vivid emerald eyes. A memory finally clicked into place in Fin__n's head._

_"Aerrow?" Finn asked, his jaw dropping._

_"Good to see you again Finn." Aerrow said as his grin widened._

_Two months later_

_"Aerrow." Finn called down the hallway of the Condor._

_"Yeah?" Aerrow's voice travelled easily up to the bridge._

_"Come up here for a moment."_

_Aerrow soon appeared in the empty doorway (they were putting in new doors soon) and looked around the apparently empty bridge._

_"Guys?" He called, walking into the middle of the room._

_"Surprise!" His team yelled, jumping out from their hiding places, making Aerrow jump back in shock. "Happy birthday!"_

_Aerrow smiled and blushed as understanding came. Finn, Piper, Junko, Stork and Radarr gathered around him, laughing. Even Stork was smiling. Piper was holding a birthday cake in the shape of the Storm Hawks emblem that said, 'Happy Birthday Aerrow, our Sky Knight!'_

_Finn was holding a big box. He handed it to Aerrow who took it with a bemused expression._

_"Seriously, you didn't need to do all this, or get me anything. I mean, it's just a birthday." Aerrow stammered, holding his first ever birthday present._

_"Course we did, dude!" Finn laughed._

_"Besides, today isn't just your birthday." Piper interrupted happily. "We can finally say that we're a proper squadron now, even if we haven't registered officially yet!"_

_"Go on, open it!" Junko insisted eagerly._

_Aerrow put the box on the table and lifted the lid open with shaking hands. Moving aside the safety wrapping inside, Aerrow gasped at what he found. Slowly and carefully, he lifted out two brand new daggers. They were silver and blue with smooth handles with a tiny Storm Hawks emblem on the side of each one. Aerrow was too shocked to speak._

_"We thought it was about time you got rid of those old daggers and had some new ones. Hopefully they'll stop any impending doom." Stork said with a slight twitch of his eye._

_"Come on, make a wish!" Finn yelled. Aerrow, still holding his new daggers, bent over the cake and blew out the candles, knowing nothing he wished for himself could ever beat how he was feeling now._

_End Flashback_

Piper and Finn were dragged from their thoughts as another crash, much closer now, sounded. They turned their eyes from the picture of younger Aerrow to the present day Aerrow.

He was standing in a fighting stance, his shoulders heaving. He suddenly lunged forwards and threw a punch right at Piper. She ducked, but no impact came. About a foot away from her face, a blue force field had shined as it deflected his punch and threw him to the floor.

The force field was just visible as a slightly bluish tint taking up the majority of Aerrow's room away from the door. A small area was left in his room by the door so the Storm Hawks could stand safely in his room.

"Aerrow, please stop!" Junko begged as Piper and Finn stood next to him. Aerrow's only response was to haul himself up and launch a fierce assault on the shield, only to be thrown back again. "He wont listen to me!" Junko moaned to Piper. "He's going to kill himself if he keeps this up! Do something!"

Aerrow dragged himself to his feet again with what looked like a great effort. He tried kicking the force field a number of times, to no effect. He tried throwing punches again and just got thrown back. Then he stared throwing himself against it.

Piper had never seen Aerrow so...angry? He looked furious, but Aerrow was never angry, except maybe when he was fighting, but underneath, there was something else. Fear, maybe? But Aerrow wasn't afraid of anything.

"Aerrow?" Piper called gently. Aerrow didn't stop, only kept attacking the shield with lightning fast attacks. "Aerrow!" She tried again, this time louder. Aerrow paused for a moment, from exhaustion or from Piper's voice, it was impossible to tell. "Please stop. Talk to us."

"Let me go." Aerrow's voice was barely audible, but Piper's eyes were glued onto his lowered face, so she couldn't miss it. But she was shocked at his voice. It wasn't miserable like it had been that one time he spoke during their fight, but it wasn't angry like he appeared to be. It was commanding, but at the same time, weak.

"Why should we?" Finn asked. "Dude, you attacked us. Why? You can't have betrayed us." Finn jumped back as Aerrow punched the force field right in front of his face. The shield crackled with energy and Aerrow yanked his hand back and massaged his knuckles. They were bleeding.

"Let me go." He said again, more forcefully this time. He snapped his head up and stared at the three of them. Junko didn't want to look back so he left the room. That left just Aerrow, Piper and Finn.

"Not until you tell us what's going on." Piper said firmly, looking into Aerrow's eyes, until, to her surprise, he looked away. None of this was like their normal Aerrow.

"I'm still the leader of this ship, and you have to follow commands."

"Not unless we think they might lead to injury or immediate danger." Said Finn, surprising Piper with his knowledge of the Squadron code of Honour.

Aerrow seemed to have no response to this. Instead he walked on shaky legs to sit down on his bed. Quietly, he said,

"She's got her. She'll die if I don't go back."

Finn automatically smirked despite the situation. Aerrow and a _her_. But the grin disappeared when his brain registered the word _die_.

"What do you mean? Is someone a prisoner?" Finn asked quickly. Aerrow didn't respond.

"No-one's going to die, Aerrow, you can tell us." Piper tried to coax him into explaining, but he stayed resolutely silent with his head down.

"Dude, she's right you know. We aren't angry at you. We just need to know what's happening."

Aerrow didn't move. Piper opened her mouth to speak again but feel silent as Aerrow slowly walked up to the force field. He punched it next to Piper's face so she jumped but he could still look her in the eyes.

"I'm going to get out of here." He spoke menacingly. "And when I do, I'll have to come and fight. If you get in my way, you will die." Piper felt tears prick the corners of her eyes but refused to let them fall.

"Finn, you and Junko are gonna stand outside Aerrow's room tonight. No-one goes in, or out." Piper said as she led the way out, followed by Finn, leaving Aerrow alone.

* * *

Aerrow's heart felt like it had been torn in two. Although she had tried to hide them, Aerrow had seen the tears and hurt in Piper's eyes. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and comfort her, to tell her the truth, but he couldn't. If he made Piper's life happy, he would be taking away _hers_. But what if by trying to save _her_ life, he ended up having to take away Piper's?

Aerrow sank back onto his bed with his head in his hands. His yells echoed eerily around the hallways of the Condor.

* * *

Stork woke up suddenly as his ears twitched. Sitting bolt upright his eyes darted around his room. _Could be mind-worms, bog fever, ghosts, monsters, shadows, __**Radarr?**_

It _was_ the furry blue thing! Radarr was pulling persistently at Stork's sleeve. He looked worried and was pointing at the window.

"What do you want?" Stork asked, grumpy at being woken up just as he had fallen asleep. Radarr just kept motioning at the window.

Stork dragged himself out of his chair and slowly made his way to the window, yawning as he went. His ears twitched again, this time at the same time as Radarr's did as they both heard the same thing; the rumble of a skimmer's engine.

Moving quickly now to the window, Stork searched the dark skies for a sign of movement. There. _Hang on,_ Stork thought, _isn't that Aerrow's skimmer?_ It was, and riding on it was Aerrow.

Going into panic mode, Stork raced to the door with Radarr hot on his heels. He came to an abrupt halt outside Aerrow's room and wasn't surprised to see Finn and Junko asleep in their chairs. _I told Piper they wouldn't be good guards._

Stork hit the alarm button and laughed quietly as Finn and Junko jumped awake. He opened the door to Aerrow's room.

The room was a complete tip; his wardrobe was turned on its side, books lay scattered around the floor, but the force field was working perfectly, yet there was no Aerrow.

"How did he get out?" Finn asked as he joined Stork.

"Through the air vent." Stork said miserably as he noticed the slab of metal that had been pulled of the ceiling. Looking up, there was the entrance to the air vent, just big enough for a thin Sky Knight to crawl through.

Piper met them as Finn and Junko ran to the hanger bay.

"How could you let him escape?" She scolded them as they reached their skimmers.

"Oh no." Junko moaned. Their skimmers had been disabled and their crystal converters broken into little bits. Stork's voice then came over the intercom.

"Um, I think we have a problem. Aerrow's damaged the Condor, we can't chase him till I patch her up, and that'll take three...maybe four hours."

Piper groaned as Finn and Junko shrugged sheepishly at her.

"What are we going to do?"

* * *

Master Cyclonis stood tall as she worked on her machine. The Dark Ace stood silently in the shadows behind her as they waited.

Somewhere, a clock chimed once...twice... Master Cyclonis turned slightly to the Dark Ace.

"Three hours, at the very last strike." She said as the clock continued to strike. Master Cyclonis turned to a guard. "Bring the prisoner." She commanded. The guard bowed and hurried to the doors, but had to stop when they burst open.

"No! I'm here!" Aerrow shouted. The last chime sounded and went silent. The guard hovered at the door.

Master Cyclonis clapped her hands sharply twice and two more guards grabbed Aerrow's arms to drag him forwards. Master Cyclonis turned around to face him

"Just in time." She said evenly. The Dark Ace sniggered from the shadows. "Dark Ace, take Aerrow back to his cell and teach him what happens when he disobeys my orders, while I deal with the old woman." She looked at the first guard and he hurried out.

"But I did what you said!" Aerrow interrupted angrily.

"You failed to kill even one of your team-mates, and the Dark Ace told me you had plenty of opportunities to strike." Aerrow's expression changed subtly, to resignation.

"Don't hurt her. I'll take it, all of it."

"I don't take orders from anyone." Master Cyclonis looked at Aerrow's face and sneered. "But, seeing as this was your first assignment, I shall be merciful. You will have all the punishment. Now, kiss my ring." She shook forward her right hand where a silver ring with the Cyclonian emblem stamped on it sat. Aerrow looked at her defiantly with a scowl. "Or you know what will happen."

Aerrow felt sick to his stomach, and Master Cyclonis loved watching his turmoil. Eventually, Aerrow slowly raised his lips to her hand, and kissed her ring. He closed his eyes and turned his head away sharply, disgusted.

Master Cyclonis sneered, pleased.

"Take him away, but Dark Ace, be sure to go easy on him," Master Cyclonis called, watching Aerrow with sick pleasure, "I'm not through with you yet Aerrow."

* * *

**In the episode, **_**The Code**_**, the Rex Guardians go on about their code, so I thought there should be some kind of orders for all squadrons to follow cause otherwise Aerrow would either have way too much power or not enough at all :) Next chapter should be up quickly.**


	7. Memories

****

Just so you all know this chapter is nearly all the Dark Ace speaking. The title should give you a pretty good idea of what he's talking about :)

**And after reading lots of other fics apparently I'm meant to say ****Disclaimer- I don't own Storm Hawks**** at the beginning of each chapter, but if I say it now hopefully those of you without short term memories can remember so I don't have to say it all the time. But I do own my OC(the prisoner) and Aerrow's parent's names! Enjoy!**

Storm Hawks- Where your allegiances lie

Chapter 7- Memories

Aerrow fell to the ground of the cell as the Dark Ace punched him in the stomach. He bit back a cry but couldn't stop his eyes from screwing up in pain. The Dark Ace moved forwards to hit him again but paused as Aerrow opened his mouth.

"You knew my parents?" His voice was quiet and forced.

A horrible sneer crept onto the Dark Ace's face and he pulled back his hand.

"Of course I did. After all, your father was my Sky Knight."

The flash of a memory hit Aerrow like he had just been hit over the head with a mallet. _A tall man with red hair...a beautiful woman putting a small baby wrapped in a blanket into his arms...a tuft of red hair beneath the blanket...the woman watching the man gently stroke a tiny fist with emerald green eyes...a younger man with black hair looking on the scene with jealousy and disdain etched in his face...the red haired man kissing the baby's forehead...wearing a uniform...standing like a Sky Knight...with the emblem of a hawk..._

Aerrow blinked and refocused on the man standing in front of him in the present day. He slowly went through the memory in his mind, noting the Storm Hawks uniform and the angry young man in the background. His memory was blurry, and everything he saw was from the man's arms.

A small shiver of shock ran through Aerrow as he realised the truth of his earliest memory. _I know I'm the last descendant of the original Storm Hawks, and I think I'm the only one there ever was, but there's no way I'm descended from...there's no way!_

"Do you remember now?" The Dark Ace asked as he stood up tall to look down on Aerrow who was lying on his side on the ground. "Do you remember anything? Then again, I guess you were just a baby, so you won't remember much.

"Your father was my Sky Knight. I was his co-pilot. We were the Storm Hawks.

"Would you like to know what happened when you were one year old, Aerrow? Shall I give you a quick overview?" The Dark Ace was looking down at Aerrow with a near-manic smile on his face. He seemed to relish the memory.

"I remember it perfectly. It was my first true mission as a Cyclonian. I was leading a small band of Talons to your home. You lived on Terra Atmosia- not in the thick of the city, just on the outskirts- in a little village. It was dusk, and the sky was red as the sun set. Almost as red as their blood.

"She came out first, your mother, running to see what everyone was screaming about. When she saw me leading the Talons she tried to run back into the house. I followed her. She stood in the doorway, screaming at me to leave, and her blood was first to wet my sword.

"I heard your father yell as she hit the floor and I turned around. He was flying on his skimmer, alone. I think he only just then realised what was going on. The rest of the Storm Hawks were already dead, I defeated them all together in the air while Rowen was fighting off some Talons I had sent to distract him.

"So, he landed and ignited his sword as he saw Aora clutching the fatal wound. He shouted at me, but why should I care? Who was he compared to Master Cyclonis? She rewards me, he never even realised I had talent. He was so surprised when I finally pierced his heart. He fell next to your mother, and died lying over her, as if to try and protect her."

Aerrow had screwed up his face to try to stop the tears. He wished the Dark Ace would stop, but he was mesmerised. As sick as he felt, as painful the stabbing pains in his heart were, he couldn't stop the need to hear more. The Dark Ace continued, smirking at the look of horror and pain on the teen's face as blurred images continued to flash across his eyes.

"The village was burning; the Talons had set everything on fire. All the people were running around and screaming, cowards that they were. Some lay dead on the ground if they put up a fight. I went into your house. But I couldn't find you anywhere." Aerrow was shocked to hear that the Dark Ace had been looking for him. The Dark Ace's voice became suddenly bitter as he finished.

"Then I saw the back door was open. I was too late. The last I saw of you was some blankets in the arms of a hunched up old lady, and you were gone."

"But...all this time...when we fight...you never..." Aerrow could barely get the words out of his mouth; his throat was so constricted with confusion.

"I never made the connection. For all I knew you could be dead, or on the other side of Atmos. I never once thought you'd be here. Or a Sky Knight for that matter. It was only recently that Master Cyclonis ordered me to research your past. When I found nothing, no records or anything, only a birth date, I finally realised you were the one I had tried to capture nearly fourteen years ago."

Something was pulling at Aerrow. Something that didn't make sense. Anger replaced the tears in his eyes. Aerrow spoke without his voice wavering, but rising steadily in volume.

"But why did you want me? Why did you burn down a whole village and kill innocent people just to get to me? What the hell was so important?!" Aerrow shouted the last sentence as he realised with a pang of horrific guilt that he was, in some way, responsible for the death of his parents, the Storm Hawks and lots of innocent bystanders. The Dark Ace just carried on sneering in that way that lets you know he knows something you don't.

"Because, Aerrow, how many Sky Knights have you heard of ever settling down? None! You are the only child of any Sky Knight, of any Squadron, in the entire Atmos. The blood of the Storm Hawks runs in your veins, and not just the blood of any Storm Hawk, the blood of their leader."

He kicked Aerrow viciously in the ribs so hard that Aerrow rolled completely over the ground twice to end up on his front. Aerrow pushed himself onto his knees so he was in a crouching position with his head bent down, breathing hard. The Dark Ace squatted down next to him and yanked his head up by his hair so Aerrow was forced to look in his eyes.

"I have to say, I didn't think much of you the first time we fought, neither did Master Cyclonis when you so rudely burst in on her. She thought Piper was the key, the most valuable member of the Storm Hawks." The Dark Ace's voice changed to a mere whisper. "But she was wrong. It's you Aerrow. It's always been you."

He punched Aerrow yet again, and Aerrow, getting angry at being hit so many times, yelled furiously,

"I want nothing to do with Cyclonia!" The Dark Ace just laughed mockingly.

"You've got no choice! Ever wondered why I first joined Cyclonia? Your father was like a brother to me, we did everything together. And he was the one who wanted to join the old Master Cyclonis in the first place."

Aerrow roared, incensed that the Dark Ace could even suggest such a thing.

"No! My father was a Hero!"

"That's what everyone was supposed to think! Rowen was going to betray Atmos, and I got pulled along for the ride. We planned a huge attack on Cyclonia, but really we told them so they could be prepared. Then just a few weeks before we were to turn on our allies, he had to find out that he'd got his love pregnant. Oh, and yes, not just some commoner. Suddenly, he couldn't be a traitor, oh no, not with a kid on the way! He said we were stupid, and I agreed. He called off the attack, making up some excuse that 'somehow' Cyclonia knew about the plan and were building up their army to defend themselves. The Cyclonians weren't happy about that. We, the double-crossers, double-crossed them. We had to be extra careful for the next few months or we could have ended up in front of the old Master Cyclonis with our heads separated from our bodies."

The Dark Ace's voice was low and angry, and for a moment Aerrow had no problem imagining him to be the surly, lonely young man that was jealous that his friend had left him out. The image was gone as soon as it had come, and all Aerrow saw now was the older man, still angry at being abandoned. A small, consoling bit of reassurance touched Aerrow as he realised that his father had not gone through with the betrayal. But he still felt empty at the thought that he had been the one to start it, even if he had been the one to end it. The Dark Ace carried on.

"Then he got married to her, and our time together got shorter and shorter. And the Storm Hawks split further and further away. He started being more of a Sky Knight, more of a husband, and less of a friend. Well, to me at least. The other Storm Hawks were his age, I was at least six years younger than all of them. They all saw me as the kid, the tag along, not really there for anything except for to fly out their Sky Knight in all their glory. There was one upside to being his co-pilot though: I learnt all the Sky Knight tricks just by watching him and I became the best driver of all of them since I had to move quickly to catch him. But other than that, I was just part of the scenery.

"By about this time our new Master Cyclonis was born. Who knew that it would only be five years until she would take up he father's mantle? And then you came. The whole village turned up to congratulate them. I was there. I wasn't there to see you," He added, looking disgusted, and Aerrow felt even more disgusted that the Dark Ace might have seen him in diapers, "I was going to tell him, face to face, that I didn't want to be his co-pilot anymore. I wanted more responsibility, more power. And you know what he did when I tried to talk to him? Pushed me away like a piece of dirt! Shouted at me and called me a traitor in front of the entire village, small as it was. Course, since he was a Sky Knight they all believed him, and I had to go to the one place I would be safe, the only place I wouldn't be arrested: Cyclonia. Your father made me what I have become. I still haven't told you exactly why Master Cyclonis wants you, have I?"

The Dark Ace whispered quietly in Aerrow's ear, who tried to pull away, to no avail.

"Your father came from the lands beyond Atmos, where he was a King: King Rowen. Then he married Queen Aora, ruler of Terra Atmosia and the rest of Atmos.

"It's not just Sky Knight blood that runs in your veins," Aerrow was nearly crying with emotion, revelation and huge, impenetrable confusion as the Dark Ace forced him to look in his eyes, "you are a Prince, Aerrow, the Prince of all Atmos and the lands beyond."

* * *

**Wowwowwowwow!! Not at all like I planned this chapter to go like, but it's turned out pretty good :) Hope that cleared up some questions (and raised some even more interesting ones!)**

**K, just to clear up any confusion, Rowen is Aerrow's father and king of the lands beyond Atmos. No-one has ever explored them because the Great Expanse separates the two worlds. Rowen is the only person to have made it across and he came from the lands beyond and arrived in Atmos when he was a young man. Aora is Aerrow's mother and Queen of Atmos. **

**And if any of you want to know, I split up 'Aerrow' and added extra letters to get Aora and Rowen.**

**A **_e _**r **_r _**o **_w_

**--Aro+a --Aora**

_--Erw+on --Rowen_

**Complicated I know, but it made sense in my mind so it stuck :) Please tell me what you think of this brilliant revelation if I do say so myself!!**


	8. Battle Tactics

**I've nothing much more to say here, so on with the story! Enjoy!**

Storm Hawks- Where your allegiances lie

Chapter 8- Battle Tactics

"Right then, if Aerrow can't tell us what's going on we'll just have to find out ourselves!" Piper voice was clear through the silence of the bridge.

All of the Storm Hawks were sat round the table on the bridge as usual. Even though Aerrow's escape had shocked them, it now spurred them on to even greater heights to find out why he had fled. Finn and Junko felt most responsible for his escape since it had been them, after all, who had fallen asleep while guarding him. Radarr kept glaring at them out of the corners of his eyes until they looked away sheepishly with a shrug. Stork seemed to have abandoned his pessimistic attitude for now in favour of a slightly more positive aspect that Aerrow had not tried to kill any of them on his way out. Piper was the most changed though; she seemed be channeling Aerrow's audacious spirit and always had the ghost of Aerrow's cheeky, daring smile on her lips. She had locked herself in her room just after he had escaped and refused to come out until daybreak. When she finally emerged she was clutching all the maps of Cyclonia they had and ordered everyone to the bridge. It seemed she had been working non-stop on a plan to sneak into Cyclonia.

"We need to find out who this 'prisoner' Aerrow mentioned is." Piper said to the boys, laying out the maps of the dungeons on the table.

"Let slip, you mean." Finn corrected her. "He wouldn't say anything else afterwards."

"I don't think it was that he wouldn't, it was that he couldn't." Junko and Finn exchanged confused looks.

"Meaning…" Junko asked.

"Meaning that I think Master Cyclonis is holding whoever it is hostage to make Aerrow follow her orders." Piper looked grim as she said this. "We all know that Cyclonis will stop at nothing to gain control. She orders innocent people to be killed without so much as batting an eyelid! I bet she's threatening this prisoner's life, and Aerrow would-"

"-do anything to save them." Finn finished for Piper with a nod.

"Exactly. But I don't understand who's so important to him." Piper frowned in thought.

Everyone sat in silence for a while, lost in their own thoughts. Junko was first to speak his thoughts.

"His parents?"

"Yeah, it could be! Or a brother or sister, or even-"

"No, it couldn't." Piper interrupted. "He's an only child."

"And his parents are dead." A new voice came from the doors to the hanger bay. Everyone turned round sharply to see a most familiar intruder.

"Aerrow's an orphan." Starling said as she walked down to where the Storm Hawks were gathered round the table. "I heard what happened about Aerrow, and I'm here to help." Piper's excitement at seeing Starling again drained away as her words sunk in.

"Aerrow's an _orphan_?" Piper asked skeptically. "How do you know? And anyway, he would have told us!"

"I know because his mother was my mother's best friend. I spent half my time on the Condor when it was grounded. I was one of the few people to be there when Aerrow was born. My mother and I were some of the first to know that the Storm Hawks had fallen. And I'm currently the only person to know who Aerrow's parents were, or at least I was until recently."

Piper stared at Starling. She looked about twenty, so that made her six or seven years older than Aerrow. It could be true, she might have been there at Aerrow's birth.

"Who were his parents then?" She asked. Starling suddenly looked hesitant.

"Follow me. I'll show you."

* * *

Starling led them through the hallways until they came to a stop outside Aerrow's room. Junko realized that they planned to go in when Starling stretched out her hand to press the button to open the door. He jumped forwards and stretched out his arms to stop them going in.

"I don't think Aerrow would want us to go snooping around his room without him here." Junko said. To his surprise, Radarr came and stood next to him. Radarr squawked in agreement at Junko's words but signaled to himself, then to the door, and then nodded.

"I think Radarr wants us to go in." Piper said wisely. "I guess it's kinda his room as well."

"Yeah, but where do you sleep?" Finn asked the little creature as Junko stood aside and they all walked in.

Radarr leapt onto the foot of the bed and showed clearly that that was where he slept.

The room looked like a tip. It seemed that Aerrow had pushed over his wardrobe so he could climb on top of it to reach the air vent. Books from his shelf had been strewn around the floor where they had bounced off the force field. His bed covers were twisted up as though he had lain down on them and stood up again restlessly numerous times. Stork had put the shield down since Aerrow was no longer there so they could walk round freely.

All the Storm Hawks were visibly nervous, but Starling seemed not to notice their agitation as she walked to his bed and reached underneath it.

"How did you not hear Aerrow making this racket?" Piper asked Finn and Junko, indicating the state his room was in as Starling continued to rummage around under Aerrow's bed.

"Seriously, he didn't make any noise!" Finn said defensively.

"There was one time when there was a big _thump_." Junko pointed out.

"But we thought it was just him attacking the shield again."

"I guess that was when he pushed over the wardrobe." Starling said as she emerged from under the bed carrying a large wooden case.

She put it down on the bed and started undoing the many clasps.

"What's that? If that's Aerrow's stuff we really shouldn't-"

"It's not Aerrow's." Starling assured Piper. "Well, actually I guess it is his inheritance, but he doesn't know about it, it was well hidden."

"His inheritance?" Stork mumbled quietly, edging closer to get a better look.

"Excellent! We're in for some money!" Finn exclaimed happily, rubbing his hands together, but stopped hastily when Starling shot him a filthy look.

"It's not money, but it is worth a lot." With a big tug, Starling pulled open the lid and a great cascade of dust flew out.

Coughing and waving her hand to clear the air, Piper stood next to Starling and carefully reached in. Her hands found what felt like lots of pieces of parchment.

"What is this stuff?" She asked as she pulled out a handful of papers. Starling took them delicately out of her hands and wiped some dust off the first page. It was a very old photograph. It showed seven young adults, all in uniform, with the Storm Hawks emblem. The new Storm Hawks gasped and stared avidly at their predecessors.

"The original Storm Hawks. The only records and photographs are inside this case." Starling said. She pointed at the tallest man in the middle with flaming red hair. "Look familiar?"

They all shook their heads uncertainly except for Piper who looked at Starling with her mouth open.

"Aerrow's father was the Sky Knight of the old Storm Hawks?"

"Yes. I don't think even Aerrow knew himself." Piper shook her head disbelievingly as the others squinted at the photograph in recognition. The Sky Knight had red hair like Aerrow's, a strong jaw, he even looked like he had Aerrow's nose. The only difference was that he was much older and had hazed coloured eyes instead of emerald green.

"He knew he was descended from the original Storm Hawks; he told us all when we found the Condor, but we all just assumed, Aerrow included, that he meant he was descended from a relative of the Storm Hawks!" Piper said.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Finn said dramatically, "So Aerrow's father was the Sky Knight of the Storm Hawks. But how did he not know? And then who was his mother?"

Starling carefully flicked through the papers until she found the one she was looking for.

"You all know the Dark Ace took out the entire Storm Hawks Squadron on his own. And you know he was the Sky Knight's co-pilot."

"The Dark Ace was Aerrow's dad's _co-pilot_!" Junko blurted out. Starling nodded grimly.

"He betrayed them all. When Aerrow was one year old the Dark Ace led a squadron of Talons to his home on Terra Atmosia, a small village away from the city, where he killed Aerrow's mother and father."

Stork looked as though he was about to be sick. Junko and Finn exchanged horrified looks. Radarr's ears drooped sadly and he whimpered. Piper couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Who was Aerrow's mother?"

Starling unfolded the piece of paper in her hands. It showed a carefully painted family tree. At the very bottom was a picture of a red-haired baby with the name _Aerrow Cailan_ underneath. Two lines led up a level from him. One led to a picture of the Sky Knight with _Rowen Cailan_ beneath. The other one led to a beautiful green-eyed woman called _Aora Cailan_. The Storm Hawks gasped again.

"_Aora Cailan?_ Aerrow's mother is the _Queen of Atmos_?!" Finn near yelled.

"Impossible!" Stork muttered.

"No way!" Junko gasped.

"The Dark Ace killed the King and Queen of Atmos?" Piper asked incredulously.

"Well, even though Aerrow's mother was the Queen and she married Rowen, he technically wasn't the King of Atmos or he would have had more power than Aora, but he was already a King. He was the King of the lands beyond before he came to Atmos."

"But no-one's ever made it across the Great Expanse to the lands beyond!" Piper argued.

"No-one but Rowen. And he didn't go _to_ the lands beyond; he came _from_ there _to_ here."

"What happened to Aerrow then? After the Dark Ace killed his parents?" Junko asked.

"I can't be sure, but I think an old friend got him out of the house before the Dark Ace could find him. She took him far away so the Cyclonians couldn't find them. They must have moved around a lot so no-body could follow them as she raised Aerrow."

"Did you say 'she'?" Stork interrupted.

"An old woman, by the name of Rosella was the only person, apart from Aerrow, to have survived the Talon attack. All the other villagers were found when people from the city came to the village. It was a small village and there was a register of everyone's names, so they were able to check off everyone's bodies as they were found. They never found Rosella's body so it was assumed that she had escaped. But only the dead villagers knew about Aerrow's existence, so no-body looked for him."

"Of course!" Finn yelled, smacking his forehead with the palm of his hand and making everybody jump. "The old woman! When I met Aerrow he lived with an old woman that had raised him. I thought she was his grandmother. I never asked about his parents, 'cause it never occurred to me.

"She's the one! Cyclonis is holding Rosella hostage!" Finn looked excitedly at the others who were slowly catching up with his thinking. "Aerrow didn't have any friends; he told me they moved around too much. Everyone thought he was weird 'cause he didn't have great clothes. They were really poor, and the woman was too old to work hard for enough money to feed them so Aerrow had to get on and off jobs in shops as a helper.

"Aerrow was really shy when I met him,"

"Aerrow, shy?" Piper was surprised; she couldn't imagine a shy Aerrow.

"Yeah, but he was really nice so I became his first friend. He told me he had a huge argument with Rosella when he told her he wanted to go to the Sky Knight Academy. I don't think they ever found each other again after Aerrow graduated."

"Rosella probably didn't want Aerrow to go anywhere near the Cyclonians." Starling said.

"And she was right, wasn't she. Look what's happened!" Finn exclaimed. "But I don't know why Aerrow didn't want to find her. I heard him one night-" Finn stopped speaking abruptly and looked worried, like a child who had just admitted to doing something wrong.

"What Finn?" Finn looked nervous but shrunk back at the look Piper gave him. "_What_ Finn? It could be important."

"Well," Finn seemed uncomfortable but spoke on, "I was getting hungry one night, so I was going to the kitchen and I passed his room, here.

"He was…mumbling, in his sleep, only it was a little, well, louder, more kind of, yelling.

"I couldn't tell if he was asleep and dreaming, or awake and something was really wrong, so I came in. He was in bed, asleep, but he must have been having a nightmare, because he was twisting and turning around all over the place and his blankets were all wrapped up round his body like a straight jacket. He kept yelling out, stuff like, "Don't hurt them!' and 'No, leave her alone!' and 'Not Rosella, please!'.

"I thought he was ill." Finn's voice got quieter, more like the kind of voice he would use over someone's deathbed. "He was panting as if he had just run across a whole terra. His face was really pale and there was sweat on his forehead and down his shirt.

"I said his name, really quietly, to, you know, try and wake him up. But I don't think he heard me. I was just about to say his name again when he suddenly sat bolt up-right and yelled, 'No!'. He put his head in his hands and he was shivering really hard. I was just standing there, so I put my hand on his shoulder. He eventually stopped shivering but when he looked at me there were lines down his face where he had been crying.

"He made me swear never to tell anyone. It was scary. He seemed really upset but he was angry at the same time. The next day was the day when he just flew off on his skimmer and wouldn't talk for very long with any of us.

"The next night I walked past his room again, to check on him. He was yelling again. I think he has the same nightmare every night, and I think it's about Rosella, or his parents."

"But why didn't he want you to tell us? Why wouldn't he tell us himself?" Piper asked.

"Come on Piper, do you really think Aerrow would tell you something like that?" Starling asked her, carefully putting the pieces of paper back in the case. "Sky Knights never show weakness, not to their enemies, and never to their Squadrons."

Piper thought about that, and realized Starling was right. Aerrow never seemed weak, he was always strong and looking on the bright side. There was one time Piper thought he had the Sky-flu, but Aerrow wouldn't let her even check his temperature. He even fought a bunch of Talons by himself to give the rest of them time to escape. True, he had gone to his room and had fallen asleep straight away according to Junko who had gone to see if he was alright, but he never complained once.

"So, you think this Rosella woman is Cyclonis' hostage?" Pipe asked Starling.

"I'm sure of it. If what Finn said is true, there can't be anyone else that Aerrow would give up his life for that isn't here at this very moment. It must be her."

"So now we know who we need to rescue, we just need to fine tune the plan and then actually rescue her." Piper said.

"Right, how about if we…" The Storm Hawks walked back to the bridge, planning the rescue as they walked.

* * *

**Yay the Storm Hawks know what's going on at last! I think the next chapter will be from Aerrow's point of view. Please tell me your thoughts! I know no-one can ever really be bothered 2 sign in and review (me included!), but it really does push you on to keep writing! + I accept anonymous reviews if you don't want to sign in :)**


	9. Conflicting Emotions

**Firstly I want 2 say thankx 2 everyone who has reviewed recently. I logged on and nearly fell off my seat when I saw how many reviews u had all left! Nd secondly I'm sorry for such the long wait but I can't seem to get the ideas from my head onto paper! Grr! So the next chapter might be a long wait again. But here's the next chapter anyway, Enjoy!**

Storm Hawks- Where Your Allegiances Lie

Chapter 9- Conflicting Emotions

Aerrow walked behind the Dark Ace through many twisting corridors of Cyclonia. There was only one guard with them now, but he was just accompanying them.

"Sure it seems bad now, Aerrow," the Dark Ace spoke over his shoulder without breaking his stride, "but you will start to see things the way Master Cyclonis does. And you have already learnt, haven't you, that she can be merciful. You walk by your own free will."

_That doesn't mean I'm here by my own free will,_ Aerrow thought to himself, still not saying a word. The Dark Ace was right in one thing though, Aerrow sure didn't miss being dragged everywhere by the guards.

They entered a spacious room that looked like a dressing room. A Talon was already waiting for them. He opened a wardrobe to show a multitude of different clothes.

"Take your pick, Aerrow. Master Cyclonis says she doesn't want to see you in just an ordinary Talon uniform. After all," he said with a sneer, "you aren't ordinary." Aerrow scowled and averted his eyes. The Dark Ace turned on his heel and walked out of the door, leaving Aerrow in the room with the Talon, who immediately started taking his measurements and laying out the right size clothes on chairs. Once everything was laid out the Talon gave a low bow and left the same way the Dark Ace had, closing the door behind him.

Aerrow sighed. This would be the perfect time to escape. If only all he had to do was escape. But it wasn't. He needed a rescue mission. _Face it Aerrow, you have no idea where Cyclonis is keeping Rosella. She could be anywhere._

Forcing back a frustrated yell, Aerrow gratefully pulled off the Talon shirt and examined the clothes on the chairs.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Aerrow came out of the room to find the corridor, apparently, empty.

"Not bad." Said the Dark Ace as he emerged from the shadows to walk round Aerrow, while Aerrow pulled the leather gloves on tighter. Although the Dark Ace didn't say it, he was shocked at the young man's appearance.

Aerrow's new uniform was almost a combination of the Dark Ace's and his own Storm Hawks uniform style. He was wearing black trousers with long red slashed in places and black boots that came halfway up his calves. His torso was covered in a long sleeved shirt with a diagonal line across his chest so half of it was in dark red and the other half was in black. All the material was skin tight and it showed off his muscles. The gloves Aerrow had were fingerless and black with red slashes like his trousers. He bunched a hand into a fist and the tight leather squeaked slightly.

The Talon came round a bend and walked straight up to Aerrow. He began fastening on plates of armor to his uniform. A large but fairly thin piece with the Cyclonian emblem on it went onto his chest first, which then attached to another piece in his back where his new glider was fastened. Two medium pieces went on his shoulders. Smaller pieces went on his arms, knees, up his calves and two on his stomach.

"Not bad at all. You look fierce." Dark Ace said. "You remind me of someone. Ah yes, I know: me, just as I joined the Talons."

Aerrow was disgusted by the thought that he might look like the Dark Ace, but somewhere in the back of his mind, he liked the word fierce.

"It's time to test out your skills. Master Cyclonis has ordered an attack on Terra Atmosia. We will lead the attack." The Dark Ace caught the glimpse of anger in Aerrow's eyes, even behind his emotionless face, and sneered. "That's right Aerrow, now's the time to show those fools what you can do."

Aerrow was startled that the Dark Ace could tell what he was thinking. He had just remembered how they had turned him and his squadron away, just because they were too young, and he had resented it.

"You're starting to like it, aren't you?" The Dark Ace said quietly. "You like the feel of it, don't you, the feel of power. You want to punish the cowards who were too stuck up to even give you a chance."

"You have no idea what I want." Aerrow retorted sharply, glaring at his nemesis.

"Oh yes, I do. I know you want to prove yourself. I know you want to get back in the air so you can fight. I know you're turning evil, and you like it."

"No!" Aerrow yelled, lunging at the Dark Ace, who didn't move quickly enough. They fell to the floor in a tangle of arms and legs, but the Dark Ace managed to pin Aerrow to the floor with his sword pointing at his chest, de-activated.

"You can try and fight it," The Dark Ace snarled, "But you can't win. You will fight because you must, and because you must fight, you will start to like it, whether you want to or not."

"I will never like hurting innocent people! I'm not like you!"

"But you will be, eventually. Our paths are chosen for us Aerrow, and yours has already been chosen by Master Cyclonis, just like mine was chosen by your traitorous father."

The Dark Ace returned his sword to its scabbard on his back and turned away from Aerrow with his hands behind his back to look out of a window to the red sky of Cyclonia. Aerrow grudgingly stood up and wiped the blood off his cut lip.

"How long will it take for you to realize that when you stop fighting everything becomes so much easier? Your friend is not locked up in a cold dungeon; she has a warm room and good food. She is being treated like a guest of honour, and you will be treated like a champion. It's only when you disobey our Master that she must punish you both.

"If you stop trying to be such a good little Sky Knight and follow-" The Dark Ace's next words were drowned out by a screeching alarm that sounded all through Cyclonia. Aerrow clapped his hands over his ears to block out the deafening noise. The Dark Ace didn't cover his ears but did wince at the alarm.

"Quick." He didn't say another word but walked briskly round yet another turn in the hallway and Aerrow had to run to catch up while his mind thought through everything the Dark Ace had said.

_Because you must fight, you will start to like it, whether you want to or not._ He would never want to hurt the people he had defended for so long, but now he was going to have to. But that didn't mean he had to enjoy it.

_Our paths are chosen for us Aerrow, and yours already has been chosen._ But one person couldn't decide the fate of another just by one action. Sooner or later, Rosella would be freed and Aerrow would be able to escape.

_I know you're turning evil, and you like it._ No, I'm not turning evil. And even if I was, I wouldn't like it. Aerrow felt a twinge of unease. True, he did rather like his new outfit, but only because it was nothing like he had ever worn. True, he had felt a tiny bit of pleasure when the Dark Ace had called him fierce, but that didn't mean he was turning evil, did it? No, it couldn't. _The only evil people are those who love to cause pain and suffering, and I know I don't._

Aerrow had been so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't realize that they had stopped and a Talon had been whispering urgently in the Dark Ace's ear.

"I will handle it. _I will handle it!_" He growled at the Talon, who bowed and hurried off. Strangely, he cast an incredibly nervous glance at Aerrow as he left. That small part of him that liked the word fierce made Aerrow smile a sneer worthy of the Dark Ace. But as soon as he realized what he was doing, Aerrow stopped and shook his head.

"It seems our attack on Terra Atmosia will have to wait." The Dark Ace drawled. "First we must rid our palace of intruders." With a strange smile, the Dark Ace led the way to the nearest landing bay, Aerrow trailing behind, still unsure about his position and dreading who he must fight now.

* * *

**Oh, I feel really sorry 4 Aerrow, even though I luv putting him through all of this!! Who are the intruders? Will Aerrow find a clear line between good and evil? Well you'll have to wait and see wont you! (reviews help :) )**


	10. Best Friends

**Hey all! I'm back after the long wait! But this is a long chapter so I hope it satisfies you for now! Finally schools out 4 summer so if I'm quick I might get this first fic finished before I go back to school! Yay holidays! Anyways, on with the story! Enjoy!**

Storm Hawks- Where Your Allegiances Lie

Chapter 10- Best Friends

"For God's sake Finn!" Piper had to fight to scream at him through the radio.

Piper was standing on the bridge of the Condor with the radio in front of her. Stork was at the helm, even though there really was no need since they were parked.

There was nothing but silence all around them, except for the occasional _drip, drip_ of water from one of Cyclonia's leaky water pipes.

Like the first time they had crept into Cyclonia, the Condor had been flown through the wastelands into one of the largest pipes at the very base of Cyclonia. There wasn't a sign of a single Cyclonian, so it seemed they still didn't know about this particular weak spot.

Also as before, Finn and Junko had been smuggled in by a truck delivering food to the hungry Talons. This time though, they had to be a distraction too, since Aerrow couldn't distract anyone while he was inside Cyclonia. Radarr had gone with the two boys to give them some help.

They had successfully created a huge diversion by using several leecher crystals to blow up some skimmers and were supposed to be meeting Piper, Stork and the Condor at a hatch. They weren't there.

"Hey, it's not my fault we got lost! How were we supposed to know that guards would come running up to us the second we set off those leechers and chase us through who knows how many corridors!" Finn's whiny voice came through the radio. Piper slapped her head in frustration.

"Look, we need to find you all so we can get out of here! Have a nose around and tell me what you see."

"Rodger that."

There was static for a short while before someone else spoke.

"Who's Rodger?" Junko's confused voice was easily recognized even though it was clear he was trying to whisper to Finn.

"Well? Anything?" Piper asked.

"No. I don't recognize anyth- wait a second…" Finn swore under his breath and there was the sound of three pairs of hurried footsteps.

"What is it?" Piper whispered into the radio.

"Radarr picked up a smell, and I know where we are." Finn whispered back. "We're outside Master Cyclonis' throne room and I heard her talking inside it."

"Guys, hurry up!"

"It's okay, I think Radarr knows the way back. Stay where you are, we'll see you in a bit."

* * *

Finn and Junko hurried as quietly as they could after Radarr. He was crawling on all fours and was definitely following a scent. His ears and tail kept twitching in anticipation.

"Radarr, what is it?" Junko asked. Radarr turned round and mimicked something to them. He was waving both arms around and seemed to be holding something. Eventually he gave up on them after miming blasting something, and carried on following the scent.

They were walking so fast to keep up with Radarr that they only heard the voices just before it was too late. Holding out his arms to stop Junko, Finn leapt behind a tall pillar in shadows. Junko copied him, but Radarr didn't notice. Finn grabbed Radarr by his tail and pulled him behind the pillar not a second too soon.

A Talon came into view from their hiding place behind the pillars. They could see him clearly, but the Talon wouldn't be able to see them. He was talking urgently to someone who soon came into view. The Dark Ace. _Of all our luck, we run into the Dark Ace!_ Finn thought, nervously watching the Dark Ace.

"I have already told her, _I will deal with it!_ It does not matter." The Dark Ace was saying irritably to the anxious Talon.

The pillar was very dusty and Finn felt a tickling in his nose. Fighting back the sneeze, Finn clamped his hands over his mouth and nose just as it hit.

The noise was considerably muffled, but when he opened his eyes, Finn could see the Dark Ace had tensed slightly and his eyes were scanning the area. The Talon looked bewildered when the Dark Ace held up a hand to silence him, but dared not disobey.

Junko and Radarr looked at Finn with scared eyes. Before they could understand what had happened, there was a flash of red light and the pillar crumbled in front of them. The Dark Ace let out a scornful laugh as he held his sword at them. Finn had already pulled out his crossbow and Junko had activated his knuckle busters, but poor Radarr had nothing to defend himself with.

"I should have known. If it isn't the notorious Storm Hawks. Well, actually, without your precious Sky Knight I guess you're not all that now are you?"

"Where is he?" Finn demanded boldly, though he couldn't stop his knees from shaking.

"Around." The Dark Ace said airily, sneering at them. "So how do you feel now your Sky Knight betrayed you?"

"He didn't." Junko shot back. "We know the truth. And by now Starling will be back at the Condor with a new friend. I think you know an old woman by the name of Rosella." The Dark Ace's face faulted before returning to his sickening grin once more.

"It doesn't matter. Why don't I give you some time to play?" The Dark Ace casually lowered his sword and shouted down a hall, "Why don't you come and deal with the intruders?" The shout echoed down the twisting corridors and footsteps followed soon after it had faded.

Junko bit his lip nervously, could it be him? When a young man came round the corner and into view, Finn's gasp of shock was audible over Junko and Radarr's.

It _was _Aerrow. But not as they knew him.

His clothes were black and red, dark and evil, and similar to the Dark Ace's. His armour had the Cyclonian emblem on it. The handles of his blades with red firebolt crystals were visible on his back.

He was standing with his shoulders slightly hunched, looking angry and upset, but the moment he saw them his eyes widened in shock, and fear. Now they knew who Radarr had been trying to act.

"Dispose of them." The Dark Ace said coolly.

* * *

Finn stared at Aerrow with un-believing eyes. It took a while for him to remember everything that Starling had explained to them. _It's obvious he doesn't want to be here, but damn! Those clothes look seriously cool! No Finn! Stay focused! Even if the evil look does kinda suit him- No!_

Finn's head was filled with shock at Aerrow's appearance and random thoughts even Finn thought were stupid. _Now's not the time to be thinking about fashion! _

* * *

Radarr couldn't see why his best friend was standing next to his enemy and not attacking. He looked surprised to see them, and Finn and Junko were staring at him as if they were shocked at his appearance. Radarr knew his clothes weren't his normal ones, but surely it was just another costume. With a growl, Radarr leapt at the Dark Ace.

* * *

"Argh!" The Dark Ace yelled as the furry blue thing came crashing into his head. "Get off me!" Managing to grab it in one hand, the Dark Ace swung his de-activated sword into Radarr, who was sent crashing into the wall where he slid down to the floor, knocked out cold.

"No!" Aerrow suddenly lunged at him before he could fire a blast of energy to finish off the furball. He heard several shots being fired and felt the un-conscious Talon fall on top of them. It seemed Finn had started blasting.

Aerrow rolled off him and staggered upright. With a great heave, the Dark Ace pushed the Talon off him and stood up, snapping open a radio at the same time.

"Don't move! You wouldn't want me to radio Master Cyclonis and tell her to kill your friend, now would you Aerrow?" Finn and Junko were aiming at him, ready to fight, but Aerrow stood between them. At the Dark Ace's words he took a step back from all of them.

"He's bluffing Aerrow!" Finn said with a grin, "We've got-"

"NO!" The Dark Ace roared, lunging at Finn to stop the words leaving his mouth.

Junko took a swipe at the Dark Ace but missed. Finn was thrown backwards as the Dark Ace tackled him. His crossbow went flying off down the hallway, Finn skidding after it. Junko tried to take on the Dark Ace himself, but the Dark Ace was too superior, even for a strong wallop. After many missed punches and several kick from the Dark Ace, Junko ended up running after Finn.

Finn had caught up with his crossbow but the trigger had jammed so it was less than useless. Now he was standing just behind Junko, whose knucklebusters were still glowing faintly. They watched the Dark Ace and Aerrow warily.

Aerrow hadn't moved since they had been fighting. He had been standing in a sort of horrified trance as a mental struggle in his mind took place. _Who do I help?!_ He inwardly screamed. Everything depended on his decision.

Now that everyone was frozen in their places Aerrow walked over to Radarr. He could feel their eyes on his back but his confused brain could only concentrate on one thing now: Radarr. He breathed a controlled sigh of relief as he felt a pulse in his friend's neck.

Aerrow stood up slowly, still with his back to the Dark Ace, Finn and Junko. Now came the next decision.

"Come on, dude." Finn spoke quietly. "They haven't got-"

"You don't need friends anymore Aerrow." The Dark Ace interrupted. He spoke in stark contrast to Finn, in a loud confident voice that drowned out the rest of Finn's sentence. "Would you really have her killed for them? You owe her your life."

Aerrow slowly turned around with his head looking at the floor and a frown on his face.

"Aerrow?" Junko asked timidly. The Dark Ace pressed the button on the radio and spoke into it.

"Get the prisoner ready." His words seemed to send an electrical shock through Aerrow. "Take them, Aerrow, they're only holding you back. Make them run back to their precious Condor, and then we'll destroy it together." Aerrow cautiously reached back with one hand and gripped the handle of his dagger, but he didn't draw it yet, and his eyes stayed unfocused on the floor. "Who knows, maybe if you capture them all, Master Cyclonis will give them the chance to join Cyclonia as well, and that way everybody's safe." Aerrow arm gave an involuntary twitch and he smoothly drew one dagger and held it before him.

"_Safe_ isn't the word I'd use to anything related to Cyclonia." He said in a low voice, turning. Aerrow raised his eyes to Finn and Junko. Junko gulped.

"Run!" Finn yelled as the first blast from Aerrow's daggers skimmed over his head.

* * *

They ran through the winding corridors of Cyclonia, their pounding feet making a din so loud that it almost overtook the noise of their fast beating hearts. Finn and Junko were dodging from side to side to avoid the continuous blasts. Aerrow and the Dark Ace were following close behind with Talons who heard the raucous joining in the chase after them. But the only shots were coming from Aerrow's daggers; the Dark Ace wasn't even holding his sword and it easy to hear him yelling at the Talons not to shoot.

_Why though?_ Junko thought as his huge wallop feet hit the hard floor. _Are they gonna wait till we lead them to the Condor before they try to take us?_

Finn was having similar thoughts. _Junko and I are puffing like a dying skimmer, but I swear Aerrow hasn't even broken a sweat! The Dark Ace looks cool too. _He dared a quick glance behind him to see how close they were. _Much too close for comfort_. But the guards looked to be in the same state as Junko and himself. _I guess it's 'cause their Sky Knights- well, the Dark Ace is as good as. They both seem to be running easily as well, they don't look strained or anything! And I swear I've seen Aerrow run much faster than that even when he isn't trying! That must be it; we're leading them straight to the Condor!_

It was true. Finn remembered where they were going now. But if they ran to the Condor they would be leading the Dark Ace straight to the other Storm Hawks, Starling, and-

Somehow they needed to lose their followers and make their own way back to the Condor. Seeing a switch up ahead, an idea hit Finn.

"Junko, take out that switch!"

Without questioning his thoughts, Junko slammed his knucklebusters together to activate them and took a flying punch to the switch. There was a crunch and all the lights suddenly flickered off.

The sound of hob-nailed boots on the floor came to a stop and there was a lot of yelling as the Talons fell over each other in the dark. Finn grabbed Junko's arm in one hand to make sure that they stayed together and felt the wall on the other hand. He whispered in Junko's ear, even though there was no need since the Talons were making much more noise, and they carefully started to creep down the darkened corridor.

"Light!" The Dark Ace's angry voice cut through the darkness like a knife and there was a crackling of energy as he and Aerrow activated their swords. It wasn't much, but it was just enough to illuminate everyone's outlines- including Finn and Junko's.

"Shoot now!" The Dark Ace yelled at Aerrow. Junko saw the dagger rise slightly, to point at his bulky figure. Aerrow hesitated again, but the Dark Ace would have no more of that.

"Fire!" With a claw like hand the Dark Ace grabbed Aerrow's hand holding the raised dagger and pulled the trigger for him. A blast of energy flew straight at Junko, and there was no time to avoid it.

"Move!" And suddenly Finn was there, pushing Junko out of the way. But he didn't move fast enough.

Finn gave out a hiss of pain as the blast made a _sizzling_ sound as it burnt the flesh on his arm. He fell heavily against Junko, clutching his arm, and barely staying conscious from the pain.

Without a second thought, Junko hoisted Finn onto his shoulder and ran down the hall in what he hoped was the direction of the Condor.

* * *

"Where have you two b- what happened?" Piper's voice changed as she saw the long, bleeding burn down Finn's forearm.

"Ran into…Dark Ace…Aerrow was with…him…fought…in the dark…Aerrow he…he fired…" Junko's speech was slowed by the heaving breaths he was taking. Wallops are very strong, but they don't much like running long distances.

Junko carried Finn to his bedroom and put him on his bed so Piper could see his wound better. The blast had torn clean through his uniform, and the first few layers of skin for that matter. It was an ugly red black colour and blood was oozing out freely.

Although it was a nasty burn it didn't take long to clean and close up with crystals before being carefully wrapped up in bandages with soothing balms in. By this time Finn was awake and crooning for attention. But it seemed that the thing that hurt him most was the fact that it had been Aerrow's dagger that had fired the blast.

"But you said the Dark Ace pressed the trigger." Piper said calmly, putting away her crystals.

"Yeah, but it was from one of the daggers we bought him on his birthday." Finn looked so depressed that Piper eventually took pity on him.

"Well, it wasn't really the dagger firing anyway, was it? It was the firebolt crystal that burnt you. The dagger was just harnessing the energy."

Finn took a moment to think about it, but brightened up once he realized what she had said. At that moment the door to his room opened and the hulking figure of Junko edged into the room. He was playing with his hands and not making eye contact with Finn or Piper.

"I'll just get you a drink Finn." Piper said, standing up and walking out of the room. Junko came up to Finn's bed and bit his lip.

"You okay dude?" Finn asked.

"Yeah, thanks to you." Junko said quietly.

"Come on, it was nothing." Junko finally looked at Finn and smiled.

"You saved my life."

"It wouldn't have killed you, you're a wallop!" Finn laughed. "You're tough, Junko! And besides, you would have done the same for me."

"Yeah." Junko smiled and went quiet.

"Dude, you know you're my best friend." Finn held out his uninjured hand and Junko grasped it firmly.

"And you're my best friend Finn."

They grinned at each other, still grasping hands, until Finn said, "Junko, I can't feel my fingers."

* * *

A while later Piper came into Finn's room again (without a drink, how interesting!) to find Finn and Junko laughing loudly. She smiled gently to herself. It was good to hear her friends laughing again.

"I can see you're feeling better already Finn."

"Oh yeah, my arm, ow!" Piper rolled her eyes at Finn. She automatically looked to her side and then had to mentally slap herself. She had expected to see Aerrow standing next to her, that cheeky grin on his face, laughing. This was one of the moments they always shared; the chance to roll their eyes at Finn's stupidity. _We'll get him back._ She thought determinedly. _He'll be here, laughing with us, with Radarr on his shoul-_

"Wait a second. Where's Radarr?"

Finn and Junko's faces turned from happy and laughing to panicked.

"Oh no!" Junko moaned.

"We forgot Radarr!"

* * *

**Oh no they forgot Radarr! This chapter kind of ran away from me, I think the plot bunny stole it before he left XD**


	11. Radarr to the Rescue

****

Woohoo! 50 reviews! Keep them coming please, they really do give me a boost to keep writing and get closer and closer to finishing my first fic!

**I figured that I hadn't put in enough about our ****favourite**** furry little co-pilot, so this chapter's for him! Enjoy!**

Storm Hawks- Where Your Allegiances Lie

Chapter 11- Radarr to the Rescue

Radarr stuck his head round the corner. The whole of Cyclonia was swarming with Talons. As small as he was, it was getting harder to stay unnoticed.

He had woken up in the pitch black to find himself all alone. There had been the sound of shouting down one corridor far off, so he had headed for that direction, hoping to find his friends.

It was a good thing he could see pretty well in the dark or he would have run straight into a pile of Talons. Then the Dark Ace's voice had shouted out something about light and there were three red glows.

Radarr saw Aerrow holding two of the red lights and hold one up at two figures down the hall that Radarr smelled to be Finn and Junko. The Dark Ace had shouted again and grabbed hold of Aerrow's dagger. A red burst of energy had fired and Finn's yell of pain had set Radarr's fur on end.

Radarr had run away to the sound of the Dark Ace yelling at Aerrow, but he was too scared to turn back.

Now, with a plan in mind, Radarr was trying to find a skimmer.

Snapping his head back before he was seen, Radarr edged back along the wall. The lighting was fairly dim, so if he crouched low he should be almost invisible, or at least, that's what he kept telling himself.

A lone Talon walked past Radarr's hiding place in the shadows. Radarr was about to attack him when a second and third Talon walked up and stood talking to the first.

_I've got to move_, Radarr thought, crouching back into the shadows and carefully creeping towards the skimmers parked in the landing bay.

* * *

Eventually Radarr reached the skimmers without being noticed. A loud voice and the sound of lots of Talons getting out of the way startled Radarr. He leapt into the seat of the nearest skimmer and ducked low down so he wouldn't be seen.

"Master Cyclonis has ordered that you will ride a Talon switchblade!"

"No way! If I fly, I fly on my skimmer, and only my skimmer!"

"You have been given orders, and you must obey! I told you to attack!"

Two figures walked very close by Radarr. The man behind was the one yelling. He was stomping and shouting angrily at the smaller man in front. The one in front had his arms tightly crossed, head down and was walking stiffly and slightly faster so as to stay ahead of the man behind.

"What part of 'fire!' don't you understand?" The man behind grabbed the one in front's shoulder and spun him around viciously. "Listen to me!"

"Why should I?! Nothing you say could possibly interest me!"

"You want her to die, do you?"

"Of course not! Why the hell do you think I'm here?!"

The two men continued their heated discussion until they stopped again, face to face, just in front of Radarr's skimmer. With a cautious glance over the controls, Radarr was surprised to see Aerrow facing off against the Dark Ace. Although he had heard the Dark Ace yell plenty of times before, Radarr had never heard him lose control like this. But what scared him the most was Aerrow's anger. He had never even seen Aerrow angry, yet alone as furious and pumped up with adrenaline as he was now. His arms were still tightly folded but he was crouching a little in a battle stance and Radarr could see him shaking with hardly controlled rage.

"I won't attack my friends! I won't!"

"They aren't your friends anymore! Would you sacrifice her to torture, just for them?"

"What was Finn trying to say? He kept saying, we've got...we've got...we've got who?"

"Nobody. They have nobody. They _are_ nobody." The Dark Ace's voice became much quieter, much more deadly. "Perhaps you need a little more incentive. A little more motivation."

Aerrow was looking at the floor and didn't see the Dark Ace place a silver crystal into his sword and raise it up behind him. Radarr couldn't stop himself- he let out a screech of warning- but he was too late.

Aerrow looked up just as the silver glow of energy hit him squarely in the chest. He was blasted off the ground and landed a few feet away from the Dark Ace. He sat up, gasping, and clutched his chest where a silvery fog was seeping through the cut on his uniform right over where his heart was. A few seconds later and the mist had sunk right into him and the rip in his clothes had stitched itself up, leaving nothing but a tiny black circle.

The Dark Ace however, wasn't watching Aerrow. He was looking directly at the skimmer where Radarr was crouching fearfully. It seemed he, at least, had heard Radarr's screech.

As quietly as he could, Radarr slipped off the seat and lay flat underneath the skimmer. He heard the Dark Ace approach his hiding spot and saw his boots stop just in front of his nose. Just like before, he saw the flash of red before the skimmer came crashing down on top of him.

* * *

Radarr fought back a cough as the dust settled. Luckily for him, the seat of the skimmer had landed over him so he had been protected from all of the collapsing parts.

"Bloody rats." The Dark Ace growled from somewhere in front of Radarr. "The entire palace is infested!"

Squinting open his eyes, Radarr found that if he wiggled forwards a tiny bit, he could easily see the Dark Ace without the Dark Ace seeing him.

_Aerrow…_ Radarr suddenly remembered his friend and quickly leaned forward to look. He breathed in a deep sigh of relief when he saw Aerrow getting to his feet unsteadily, still clutching his chest.

"It's called a Shocker." The Dark Ace held up the crystal for Aerrow (and Radarr) to see and looked at it with a grin. It was a shimmering silver colour, but inside it were jagged lines of bright yellow. "Master Cyclonis found it quite recently, actually. She's been looking for someone to test it on. You see, each time you disobey an order, it sends a shock through your heart to the rest of your body. Sit down."

"Why should I-" Aerrow's voice was punctured by a cry of pain. The crystal in the Dark Ace's hand vibrated slightly and the yellow lines inside it glowed. Aerrow shook as though he had just received a huge electric shock and fell down onto one knee. He gritted his teeth and tried to stand up, but only received another shock that left him sitting on the floor. Radarr whimpered quietly for his friend.

"And that's not all it does Aerrow." The Dark Ace glanced at the crystal again before sneering at Aerrow. "The shock not only forces you to do what you have been told, it does something very special at the same time. What's her name?"

Aerrow was taken aback but he opened his mouth to speak anyway.

"Ro-" He looked confused for a second, as if he couldn't quite remember. "Ro…Ros…Ros…" Aerrow frowned in concentration as he strained to remember. "Ros...Rosella? Rosella!" He jumped to his feet with his eyes wide and stared at the Dark Ace.

"It eats at your memories." The Dark Ace said with another sneer. "Takes away anything that Master Cyclonis doesn't want in your head. So basically, the more you disobey, the more you forget, until you become the perfect Talon." Aerrow looked mortified. "You obey Master Cyclonis and keep your memories, or you disobey Master Cyclonis, and lose your memories. And that's not even mentioning the pain of the shock for you, and of course the torture for you friend, Rosella. Either way is fine, because in the end, you will do as we command."

Aerrow stepped back from the Dark Ace and scowled.

"So what do you say Aerrow?" The Dark Ace casually put the crystal back into his pocket, Aerrow's eyes following it. Eventually, Aerrow sighed and his shoulders slumped.

"I'll do what you say."

"Good. But don't worry. I'm sure we can make some arrangements to your liking. We'll have your skimmer prepared right now." The Dark Ace walked ahead and beckoned for Aerrow to follow. Massaging his chest, Aerrow followed.

Radarr wiggled free of the broken skimmer and looked to where the Dark Ace and Aerrow had disappeared. _This isn't good_. He checked to make sure no Cyclonians were around before taking off at a run after the two.

* * *

Radarr crept quietly after the Dark Ace and Aerrow. After a short time they all arrived at another landing bay. Aerrow's skimmer was parked right in the middle and was surrounded by lots of Talons. Curious to see what they were doing, Radarr shuffled closer to Aerrow and the Dark Ace.

It seemed that the Talons were admiring Aerrow's skimmer.

"Have you seen the engine on this thing?"

"Why don't we get good skimmers like this?"

"It's so shiny!"

One of the Talons was even brave enough to hit the shield with the Storm Hawks emblem on it.

"Hey!" Aerrow yelled out angrily, taking a step forward and making all the Talons jump back guiltily.

"Dark Ace, Sir!" They all saluted as they noticed the Dark Ace standing by Aerrow with a smirk on his face.

"Shouldn't you all be preparing for the invasion?" The Dark Ace asked snidely. The Talons nodded hurriedly as the Dark Ace walked in front of them. "And for the record, you spineless cowards aren't worth good skimmers. That's why." The Talon who had complained shrunk back as the Dark Ace laughed mockingly at him. "Well? What are you still doing here?"

At the Dark Ace's words the Talons hastily turned round and hurried off, except for one.

"Dar…Dark Ace?"

"What is it?" The Talon gulped at his sharp tone.

"Master Cyclonis sent me to…to give you this. It's the plan…for the invasion."

The Dark Ace snatched the piece of paper out of the Talon's shaking hands and unfolded it to read it. With a quick bow, the Talon practically ran away to find his comrades.

"I know what she plans." The Dark Ace carelessly threw the paper behind him to Aerrow, who caught it and started to read.

Radarr, who had been watching everything from a ledge on the wall, leaned forwards to get a better view. Without warning, the thin bit of rock supporting him snapped and Radarr fell to the floor with a loud crash.

The Dark Ace, who had walked away to examine Aerrow's skimmer, didn't hear. But Aerrow, standing just a few feet away, turned around sharply. Radarr cringed as Aerrow saw him out in the open.

They stayed frozen like that for what felt like hours to Radarr. He could see the shock in Aerrow's eyes and was waiting for him to call out to Dark Ace. After all, hadn't he attacked Finn and Junko, his friends?

But after what must have only been a few seconds, Aerrow turned away. The Dark Ace called him over and Aerrow casually walked over to him, not saying a word.

Radarr was so surprised that it was another few seconds before he noticed the little piece of paper that had fallen from Aerrow's hand. Or maybe, had purposely been dropped…

* * *

**Hee hee hee! Poor Aerrow's situation just keeps getting worse and worse! Not as much about Radarr as I would have liked, but hope you liked this chapter! There seem to be longer and longer gaps between the times I post each chapter but not too long I hope! Hmm, so what side is Aerrow really on? Who knows? But I do know that reviews help the typing up process! :)**


	12. The Great Gathering

**I'm sorry everyone for the long delay but I've been crazily busy over the holidays, what with painting my room and going to Portugal etcetera etcetera. This chapter seemed to take ages to write for not very much, but it's late now and I don't want to rewrite it all again. So much for finishing this fic before the end of the holidays :(**

**Anyway, please read and review, and Enjoy!**

Storm Hawks- Where Your Allegiances Lie

Chapter 12- The Great Gathering

"Something's coming in on the scopes. It's a Talon's skimmer!" Stork's worried voice made all of the Storm Hawks and Starling jump up from their seats and rush to the windows.

"Who's riding it?" Junko asked the room at large.

"Well it's not Aerrow." Stork answered, peering into the periscope **(is that what it's called?)** "Whoever it is, they're too small to see clearly. Is that blue fur?"

"Hey, do you think it could be-" Junko looked back at the others to see the door to the landing bay slam shut.

"It's Radarr!" Piper exclaimed as the Talon skimmer landed and the little blue creature **(for want of a better word)** jumped off. He hurried over to them and, to everyone's surprise, hugged Piper's leg.

"Wha- you miss Aerrow, don't you?" Piper said quietly as she bent down and scratched Radarr behind his ears. Strangely, Radarr didn't pull away. It seemed he was miserable enough to let Piper fuss him like a pet, even though he despised being treated like one.

"Sorry for leaving you behind Radarr." Junko apologized sheepishly.

"Yeah, we didn't mean to." Finn added. Radarr just gave them both a look that plainly said, _I'll get you back later_.

"How did you get out?" Starling asked. Radarr thought for a moment and then acted something out that nobody could understand.

"It's no use Starling," Piper interrupted Radarr's mime, "Only Aerrow seems to get what he means."

Radarr nodded sadly and then held up a scrap of paper in his paw. He waved it at Starling, who took it and looked at it curiously.

"Listen to this!" Starling exclaimed, reading off the paper. "Cyclonis is planning an attack on terra Atmosia, and it starts tomorrow! Led by the Dark Ace and Aerrow!"

"What?!" All the Storm Hawks yelled out.

"We've got to stop them!" Finn said.

"What about Aerrow?" Said Junko.

"We've got to warn the Council!" Piper said.

"We'll never make it before the Talons do!" Said Stork loudly to stop everyone else. "By the time we get there they could have already taken over Atmosia completely."

"Then we attack first!" Starling said, with the same gleam that she had in her eye when they had planned to destroy Polaris Point. The same gleam that Aerrow had in his eyes whenever he was about to do something daring and dangerous.

* * *

"This is Starling of the Interceptors calling all Sky Knight squadrons. Atmosia will soon be taken over by Cyclonia unless we take action. For too long Cyclonia has been a threat to all of free Atmos. But no longer will we stand back and watch this happen. Now is the time to join forces and launch a frontal assault on Cyclonia. We have tried once before, and we failed. That will not happen again! This time must be the last. This must be the end of Cyclonia for ever!

"Aerrow, the Sky Knight of the Storm Hawks, has joined Cyclonia to save a prisoner being kept there. He will fight against us, but we have rescued the prisoner, and as soon as he sees that she is safe, he will fight with us!

"He has given up his freedom to save just one person. Surely, we can all give ourselves to save countless numbers of innocents from the grips of Cyclonia.

"If we lose this battle, Cyclonia will rule all of Atmos, and the true King will never take his throne. Aerrow…" Starling hesitated and took a deep breath, "Aerrow is the air to the throne. His true name is Aerrow Cailan and he is the only son of Rowen and Aora Cailan. The only reason he has never claimed the throne is because he doesn't know about his heritage himself. If he dies, then Amos will never again have its rightful ruler.

"In one hour, at 15:00 hours, the Condor will be just outside the northern border of Cyclonia. Join us in the final fight against Cyclonia to win this war once and for all! For Atmos! Starling out."

* * *

Starling put down the radio transmitter and gave a great sigh. The Storm Hawks gathered around her looked worried.

"Do you think anyone will come?" Piper asked nervously.

"I really can't say Piper." Starling shook her head. "I know all the squadrons want to win this war, but…I just don't know if they'll come. The last time we launched an attack like this, we had the old Storm Hawks on our side, and they were the best, but we still failed, and the losses were heavy. I don't know if anything will be different this time."

"Of course it will!" Finn's angry voice broke through the quiet, making everyone turn around sharply to look at him. "The old Storm Hawks might have been the best, but they weren't enough. Because Cyclonia plays dirty. But now they aren't the only ones. The new Storm Hawks have new moves that are just as dirty as the Cyclonians! And sometimes you need to fight as bad as they do to beat them! The old Storm Hawks weren't enough, but we are, because we have something they didn't." When the Storm Hawks and Starling continued to look blank, Finn shouted out,

"Aerrow! He's the link! The link between our generation of Storm Hawks and the old one. I've always thought I couldn't do the moves he does because he's a Sky Knight and I'm not, but I was wrong! It's 'cause he's got the blood of the old Storm Hawks _and_ the new Storm Hawks that _he_ started. Alone, neither generation of Storm Hawks is enough, but when you put them together, it might just be enough." Finn's voice went quiet and he looked embarrassed at his outburst of thought.

"Well, now that all the squadrons have heard that speech I think we will all be going to our doom together very soon." Stork said, with his finger on the radio transmitter. Finn's cheeks went pink.

"You sent that out over the radio?!" Finn asked angrily. But before Stork could answer, the radio buzzed.

"This is the Buff Buzzards. We shall see you in one hour."

"Blister here. The Third Degree Burners are on the way."

"The Screaming Queens are in."

"Ze Rebel Ducks shall assist in ze demise of Cyclonia."

And on the transmissions went, coming from squadrons from all over Atmos, some that they knew well, and others that they hadn't even heard of.

"Well said." Starling's praise made Finn go even redder. "You're absolutely right. There's no point hanging around here any longer. Stork, lets get going to Cyclonia!"

Stork gave a strange shudder but complied with Starling's command. The Condor turned round in the air and headed away from terra Atmosia, towards Cyclonia.

* * *

"Well, you all know why you're here."

The Condor was hovering just beyond the northern border of Cyclonia, and surrounding the battered old ship were almost a hundred different carriers, from all shapes and sizes, from every corner of the Atmos, each carrying a different Sky Knight squadron.

The bridge of the Condor was packed tightly with all of the Sky Knights who had agreed to fight. Everyone was listening to Starling as she finished outlining the plan.

"…and open the gates while the Storm Hawks get Aerrow back."

"Excuse me." Starling hesitated at the voice. It had come from a Sky Knight near the back of the crowd. "But why can't we just take down this Aerrow? He's just a kid, isn't he?" Piper frowned. This Sky Knights voice was scornful and he looked similar to the Rex Guardians.

"And who are you?" She asked.

"Blaine. Sky Knight of the Thunder Rodes." He looked at Piper with an eyebrow raised. "And you'd be…?"

"The Second-in-command." Piper glared at him. He smirked at her before turning pointedly towards Starling instead.

"As I was saying, he's just a kid. You said he's the air to the throne, so that's obviously why Cyclonis wants him. Not because he's got any real talent."

"He's got more talent than you do!" Piper burst out angrily.

"Piper!" There was a hint of warning in Starling's voice as she quickly stepped in front of Piper, who was glaring at Blaine while he eyed her with disdain.

"The Storm Hawks are just kids playing a silly game. They aren't old enough to be an official squadron, so this Aerrow can't even be old enough to be a proper Sky Knight."

"Wait until you fight him." Harrier's voice came loudly as ever as he pushed his way forwards to Blaine. "You can be the first to face him when Cyclonia starts attacking us, then. We are wasting time here arguing when we _should_ be launching an attack. Or am I at the wrong meeting?" Even Blaine looked guilty, a little.

"Yes. You're right Harrier." Piper breathed in deeply, trying to fight down the urge to slap something, or someone.

"For those of you who don't know him," Starling continued, with a deliberate glance at Blaine, "and even those who do, he _is _a fully trained Sky Knight, and a very good one at that. He _will_ attack just as much as the Dark Ace." Several worried glance were exchanged at the mention of this name. "But he is on our side. Take him down if you can, but give the Storm Hawks a chance.

"Any questions? No? Then I guess its time to-"

"Hang on, Starling, could I say something?"

Starling looked at Piper's nervous face and nodded. Piper turned to face all of the gathered Sky Knights.

"I know that the last time that this happened it didn't work out as planned. And I know that we're all scared of the same thing happening this time. But I really think that this time is going to be the end of Cyclonia." Piper's nervous face suddenly flashed with determination. "This time we have more squadrons! And a better plan! And more courage! We have something more to fight for; freedom. The complete freedom of Atmos, as soon as Cyclonia is destroyed and we have a King again." Her voice wavered but became even stronger. "This is it. We're all united, here and now. Good luck to all of you, and thank you. For Atmos!"

"For Atmos!" All the Sky Knights echoed.

And then there was a flurry of movement as they all charged to the doors, yelling different battle cries, but all for the same cause. Eventually it was just Starling and the Storm Hawks left.

"So…" Junko said nervously.

"This is it…" Finn nodded.

"It's actually going to happen…" Piper agreed.

"We're all doomed anyway." Stork looked terrified but his voice was quite casual. Radarr looked up at Starling hopefully.

"It's now or never." Starling looked round at all of their face as they changed from nervousness, to resolution, and determination. Piper grinned at her friends and teammates and felt warmth spread through her body as they returned the grin, all of them, even Stork.

"Let's get Aerrow back."

* * *

**Bit of a dramatic chapter, but please leave a comment, even if you just say hello :) Tell me what you thought and any little requests you might want to make (even though I might just ignore those :P) And I made up Blaine and the Thunder Rodes so that's Copyright to me.**


	13. The Calm before the Storm

****

Oh my god it's been so long since I updated! I'm really really sorry to anyone who's been patient enough to read this story and wait all this time for the next chapter without forgetting my story (hopefully!) Well I'm back again for now and I really am making a huge effort to keep writing. I never knew just how hard it is to write something that won't come!

**I recently watched a new episode of Storm Hawks, 'Stratosphere', and I realized that it fit quite nicely into the background of my story! Not exactly as I put it across, but I must be psychic! :) **

**Enough of this long note! I'm giving you an extremely long chapter as well! I'm sorry if it looks daunting, but I couldn't stop typing! Here's chapter 13, Enjoy!**

Storm Hawks- Where Your Allegiances Lie

Chapter 13- A Battle to end a War –  
Part 1 – The Calm Before The Storm

The blood red skies leered overhead as the attacking force moved past the northern border and started for the very heart of Cyclonia. All the carriers from all over the Atmos were spread out for miles, lined up behind one very battered little ship.

* * *

The Condor's engines sputtered into life as Stork moved the Condor into high gear. Like one great monster, the army of Sky Knight Squadrons started to advance, keeping in their ranks. Not even ten seconds after they had passed the border of Cyclonia, a message crystal appeared at every ship, warning them that they were in Cyclonia territory and not to advance or they would be destroyed.

"No need to tell **me**!" Stork muttered as he threw the message crystal into the inferno that was the engine of the Condor so it couldn't infect them all with a nasty flesh-eating disease. "It's not exactly like we're having fun driving into Cyclonia! But I guess we do have to do this." Stork's paranoid muttering paused for a moment as he leant heavily on the steering wheel. "Either we die later by some other horrible disease or we die…for Aerrow." Stork's head filled with memories of Aerrow.

_Stork's Flashback_

_"So?"_

_Stork was standing behind a door in the Condor. On the other side of the door were the rest of the Storm Hawks on the bridge. Stork's gut was twisted._

_"I've found the perfect guy."_

_That was Aerrow. He was the only one who had met Stork yet. Well, define 'met'._

_"Come on then, who is he?"_

_Finn's voice. That was all the Storm Hawks were so far. Two friends and a battered old ship._

_"He's amazing. I saw him put together an entire skimmer in less than a minute, just from old junk."_

_Stork felt a twinge of pride at Aerrow's words, but they were quickly overtaken again at the feeling of nervousness._

_"Come on then, let him in! Where is he?"_

_"Stork, you can come in now."_

_Stork took a deep breath and walked through the door._

_"You!" Finn's yell of surprise told Stork that he clearly remembered him from the previous night._

_"Err, well, hi. You obviously remember me but lets get one thing straight, I only did that because someone put something in my drink and it could have been anything from a shard of a poison stone to some old milk which would have done me just as much if not more harm than the shard of poison stone would have done depending on its size."_

_"Ha! Dude! You were hilarious!"_

_Finn's peal of laughter stopped Stork's gibbering and made him go bright red instead._

_"You…with the pan…and the…wooden spoon!" Finn threw his head back and laughed loudly before holding out his hand to Stork. "I don't know what kind of engineer you'd make, but you'd definitely liven things up a bit around here, with some of my help of course!"_

_Stork recoiled from Finn's outstretched hand: who knew how many infectious diseases could be lurking on it? His face burned as he realized it had been stupid to let Aerrow talk him into this._

_"Stork's just very into personal hygiene, Finn. And he's not going to be our engineer." Stork's heart sank even further. _Of course this was just a chance to laugh at me again,_ he thought miserably. "He's going to be our carrier pilot."_

_Both Stork and Finn looked at Aerrow in shock. Aerrow just grinned at Stork._

_"You don't have to if you don't want to, but I saw your fingers twitch when I showed you her engine. Care to take her for a spin?"_

_Stork didn't know what to say._

_"Me? Fly the legendary Condor?" He finally managed to gasp out._

_Aerrow nodded and gave a mock little bow, pointing his arms to the gleaming steering wheel. Stork's fingers curved around the metal and knew Aerrow had brought him home._

_End Flashback_

It was all thanks to Aerrow that he had finally found his true calling in life. Sure, there was always the danger of dieing a horrible death due to Cyclonians, but it was probably safer than most other places, mainly due to the fact that Aerrow was always there to protect his team.

"We're coming to get you back, Aerrow."

* * *

Finn sighed and put down the cloth he was using to clean his crossbow. It was shining from the amount of polishing it had got, along with his sparkling sky ride, his spotless uniform and his gleaming glasses. Cleaning was the only thing that caused distraction enough to forget about the mess they were about to be in. Even posing in front of the mirror just wasn't enough distraction.

Radarr was curled up at the foot of Finn's bed. He looked like he was asleep, but the reflection of his eyes showed that he was awake. He was watching Finn and kept letting out little whimpers every now and then. When Finn put one hand by his head, Radarr snuggled up to him and closed his eyes. It looked like he was trying to imagine that Finn's hand was Aerrow's.

"Yeah, you aren't the only one." _I'd swap with him anytime. He knows how to rally us all, and he'd have no problem beating me and_ _getting me back on the right side. But taking Aerrow down…he's so good…he's beaten the Dark Ace so many times I've lost count! So how're we gonna beat him? _He scratched Radarr's ear and Radarr let out a half-hearted growl. He soon gave up though, just enjoying the attention.

_The thing is, this isn't just like any other fight we've ever been in._ Finn mused. _We _have _to win this fight, or it's all over. There won't be any more free Atmos, only the world of Cyclonia. But we _can't_ lose! We must have, like, every single Squadron in all of Atmos!_

Finn absently returned to his needless polishing while he ran through Piper and Starling's plan in his head for the fiftieth time. Soon enough his mind wandered to Aerrow's predicament.

_What would I do if Cyclonis ever got her hands on my mum?_ Just picturing his mum in chains was almost too much to bear. _Poor Rosella. She was always so nice. I can't believe I never wondered where Aerrow's parents were! We've talked about all our families here on the Condor, but he always seemed to disappear to do some chore or something before it got to his turn._

Finn turned his crossbow over and rubbed the other side of it with his grease covered cloth.

_Still, it's hard to believe that Aerrow is actually a prince! Or a king. Or whatever! Guess we'd better get used to calling him 'Your Highness'. _Finn snorted with laughter but quickly stifled it. _And I guess that means the only way Cyclonis can get her claws on the throne officially is by getting Aerrow to write her into his will and then kill him or to marry him. _Even the surprise of again figuring something important out wasn't enough to stop the chill creeping up his spine. _Aerrow marry Cyclonis? Urgh! That's just too gross to think about! But…If she's a queen then she has the power to force him to agree to it, but she would still need a Joiner to marry them._

Finn got caught up in his ponderings before he realized he was still polishing his crossbow. Sighing again, he lay down the cloth on his table and stretched.

"Don't worry, Aerrow, we won't let that happen."

* * *

Junko wiped his sweaty forehead with one giant hand. Aerrow's bookcase was a lot heavier than it looked, and it was a much easier to push over than to push up.

Aerrow's room looked neat and tidy again. All the books were in the correctly placed bookcase, his bed sheets ware straightened out and all the other bits and bobs that had been thrown around were back where they belonged. Junko thought that Aerrow should at least come back to a tidy room.

He looked around the room one last time to make sure he hadn't missed anything and allowed himself a small grin. _Now he won't have to worry about clearing that up when he gets back to us. Unless…No. No, of course he's going to be back soon. We all will._

Junko rubbed his arm, and then slapped his hand away. It was no point worrying about what could have happened when it hadn't. _And it wasn't even his fault._ He walked to the door and stood leaning against the doorframe like Aerrow always seemed to do when he was thinking.

_Junko's Flashback_

_"I don't want to- I'm not going to- I just-"_

_Junko kept backing away from the angry young man, hands up. His blond friend was kneeling on the ground, clutching his arm and groaning in pain._

_Aerrow was holding a Cyclonian energy spear at Junko, who was walking backwards with his hands in the air, trying desperately to show him that he meant no harm._

_Aerrow and Finn were dressed as maintenance men. Junko was dressed as a Cyclonian guard. There was obviously a problem._

_"I'm sorry! I thought you were Cyclonian spies!" Junko wailed._

_"Like you?" Aerrow asked. His voice had a certain ring of anger in it._

_"No! I'm not! I was looking for you. No! I mean, I was looking for you, but not to turn you in!_

_"You hurt him! You've broken his arm!"_

_"I didn't mean to! Please, just let me explain!"_

_"Stay where you are." Junko stopped backing away. "Stork, how bad is it?"_

_A teen merb shuffled round the corner and hesitantly examined Finn's arm._

_"It's alright Aerrow, it isn't that serious. And it definitely isn't broken."_

_Aerrow's shoulders seemed to slump in relief._

_"But it _hurts!_" Finn moaned._

_"I'm sorry. My name's Junko. I followed you here, and when I saw you getting those guards uniforms I thought I should too. But then you must of changed and I didn't see."  
"Why were you following us?" Aerrow asked. He didn't sound as angry now but he was still holding the spear at Junko._

_"I…I've…I've been wondering if, well, if maybe I could…maybe…you know, only if you want me, join you guys?"_

_"You want to join us?" Finn was standing up and looking curiously at Junko. "So you followed us into a dark Cyclonian tunnel just to ask us if you could join?"_

_"Well, yeah. I thought there might be some kind of test or something, and I'm lousy at tests, so I thought I'd impress you." Even aloud, the words sounded stupid to Junko._

_"Not really, we just sort of-"_

_"Stay still."_

_Aerrow's whispered command confused Junko, but suddenly he let out a blast of crackling red energy from the tip of the staff. Junko's first thought was to duck, but his brain told him to 'stay still'. The energy flew overhead, but didn't just carry on. It connected with something solid and something fell backwards. Junko spun around, just as the paralyzed Cyclonian hit the floor._

_"There." Aerrow said. "You passed the first test. Now let's get out of here!" The pre-Storm Hawks turned and ran away from the frozen Cyclonian. Finn ran up next to Aerrow._

_"What first test?" He asked._

_"Lesson number one: follow commands." A smirk danced on Aerrow's lips._

_"You just made that up!" Junko heard Finn exclaim. He heard Aerrow laugh, and it was strange. It wasn't a particularly strange laugh, in fact, it was pretty ordinary; roguish and full of mischief, but there was something strange about it coming out of Aerrow's mouth._

Maybe it was because he was so serious before._ Junko thought. He saw Finn open his mouth to accuse Aerrow again, but before he could speak, Aerrow put on a burst of speed that left Finn behind, unable to keep up, let alone talk. Aerrow let out a gleeful laugh again. _He's so full of energy!_ It was true. Aerrow looked like he could run back the way they had come, catch up with the rest of them again and still be faster than Finn or Stork! _Or me._ Junko added as an afterthought. _Let's see.

_Junko started puffing as he tried to catch up with Aerrow. He overtook Finn and Stork easily enough but couldn't gain any more speed. Aerrow, noticing Junko's increase, pulled back to level him._

_"What's up?" His voice was calm and untroubled. Junko felt like a tired old rhino when he spoke._

_"I was just wondering: how do you have so much energy? Are you really a Sky Knight?"_

_Aerrow gave him a cheeky grin._

_"I haven't been knighted yet, but that comes after I've got a team together, but I've passed all the training. That's why I have so much energy. At the Academy we sprinted for three hours non-stop every morning at two am. And that was just a warm-up."_

_"Go on then." Finn's weary voice sounded from behind them. "You're going to have to show him something cool before he believes you. I didn't when you first turned up on my doorstep."_

_"If you insist." Aerrow grinned back at Finn and Stork, who shuddered._

_"But if you break anything, I am not setting it!"_

_Aerrow laughed and eyed the circular wall. "Watch this." He took a deep breath and ran at the wall. Junko winced at the anticipated crash, but when Aerrow reached the wall, he put one foot on it, then the other, and _ran straight up it! _Junko's jaw dropped. Aerrow was running vertically up the wall and matching their pace on the ground. He twisted slightly and ran even faster, reaching the ceiling of the tunnel. He let out a whoop and Junko could see the thrill in his eyes as he ran back down the other wall. At the bottom he pushed off hard with his feet, did a few flips, and then casually slid next to Junko again, acting like he had done nothing more interesting than step off an elevator. They stopped running when Aerrow held up a hand. _

_"Nice." Finn said simply._

_"That was amazing!" Junko contradicted, his eyes wide._

_"It was nothing." Aerrow shrugged. "So, what can you do?"_

_"Nothing like that. But I'm good with stuff. Like a mechanic. And I'm quite strong too, so you don't have to worry about me struggling with anything heavy."_

_Stork nodded. "Wouldn't be too bad having a strong wallop around. But you better not have any diseases."_

_"Halt!"_

_The unexpected voice caught the four teenagers unawares. Seven Talons with energy spears were glaring at them, forcing them to freeze._

_"Stay where you are." The guard in front said menacingly in a deep voice. The group subtly moved closer together behind Aerrow, who was nearest to the Talons. Junko's mind was frozen. He hadn't thought facing the Cyclonians would be this scary!_

_"Take out the wallop first." The first guard said, moving his spear to face Junko, who gulped. Then Aerrow spoke, and the guard twitched back his spear to face Aerrow again._

_"He's not the only one you should be worried about." Junko felt a warm glow inside him. No-body had ever cared about what happened to him._

_"Change of plans. Take out the cocky one first." He fired, straight at Aerrow's bare face. He had no time to protect himself, or move out the way._

_"No!"_

_Junko's hand suddenly reached out and grabbed the ball of energy. His entire body shook as the electricity buzzed through him, but instead of hurting, it just felt…_tingly._ In one smooth movement, he grabbed hold of the guard's spear and punched as hard as he could._

_The guard flew backwards, crashing into the other six as he flew through the air and knocked them all unconscious._

_Stork and Finn turned slowly to look at Junko in awe, who gave a nervous laugh._

_"What the hell were you thinking?"_

_Junko turned to see Aerrow looking angry and slightly pale staring at him._

"_Why did you do that? You could have got really hurt!"_

_"But it doesn't hurt, it just tingles."_

_"Well you completely failed the second test!" Junko's heart plummeted. Aerrow's eyebrows were creased in a frown, but slowly thy smoothed out and Aerrow smiled. "But you passed the third test with flying __colours__." He held out his hand. "Welcome to the Storm Hawks Junko." _

_Junko couldn't believe his ears. When the words finally sunk in, he turned bright red. He held out his massive hand and shook Aerrow's._

_"What was the third test?" He asked when he finally got his voice back. Aerrow grinned at him._

_"Lesson number three: the Storm Hawks are family."_

_End Flashback_

Junko stepped away from the doorway and closed the door.

"Just you wait Aerrow, you'll be back with all your family in no time."

* * *

Piper pulled back her hand and massaged her knuckles. The dummy she was practicing her sky-fu on just bounced back into place innocently. It was a lot harder than it looked.

Still rubbing her sore knuckles, Piper fell back onto the bench in the training room. She was breathing deeply, a result of the brutal session she had just finished. The bars had been sufficiently bent, the weights were back in their holders, and the dummy with the Dark Ace's face on it was back in its normal position, leering at Piper.

"Stupid thing." Piper muttered under her breath. Her eyes wandered around the room, looking for any kind of distraction from the pains in her heart. But everything she looked at brought back memories of him. This was where he spent most of his time on the Condor, if he couldn't be outside on his skimmer. That was one of the things that Piper loved about him; the fact that he would always be either in the air or in the training room.

A small blush tinted Piper's coloured cheeks. She hated to use the word 'loved', but it was true. He just had so many interesting things about him that made him so…fanciable.

The colour in her cheeks rose another shade of red. _Good thing I'm alone. Then again, if I wasn't alone, I probably wouldn't be having these stupid girly thoughts._ After all, that was all it was: a little crush on a good friend.

_But it's so much more. I _want_ it to be so much more._ Piper mentally slapped herself. She needed to keep those kinds of thought out of her head. She didn't want any feelings to come between their friendship.

_It's not like I'm in _love_ with him or anything!_ A twinge of unease washed through her body somewhere around her stomach. 'Love' was definitely much too strong a word to use.

Piper gave up trying to distract herself from thinking about where he was and what he was doing. Instead, memories of happier days came into her head. The one that pushed itself to the front was the one that had happened right in this very room.

_Piper's Flashback_

_Piper walked down the walkway of the Condor. All of the doors to the various rooms were closed and there was no sound except for the occasional creak of a pipe and the clicking of Piper's shoes on the metal floor. It was dinner time, and everyone was eating at the table. Except for Aerrow._

_Piper had already knocked on his room and got no answer, so now she was searching the Condor for him. It wasn't like him to skip a meal. Not because he was always hungry, but because he always wanted to make sure his team was eating well._

_As she reached the bottom of a ladder, strange sounds reached Piper's ears. Worried, Piper headed in that direction._

_Eventually, she ended up outside the training room. This room was practically a mystery to Piper, since she was only starting the first levels of Sky-fu, so she only needed as much space as there was in her room. Also, the guys spent quite a lot of time in there just mucking around, although their fights always ended up in other parts of the Condor, often before they had even properly begun, and she wasn't totally comfortable with all of them yet. Especially Junko with his bulging muscles, though he seemed very kind in nature, and Stork, who seemed to think that girls were some form of strange disease. Then again, Finn was an arrogant pig. So basically, the only person she felt comfortable around was Aerrow._

_The sounds were definitely coming from inside the training room. It sounded like someone was fighting inside, but it was just one voice. Not sure what to expect, Piper pressed the button and cautiously stepped inside._

_What she saw next took her breath away._

_Aerrow was standing on the highest bar, topless, in just his trousers. His chest was supple and toned and his six pack was easy to see even from a distance. The fading light of dusk cast half of Aerrow's face in shadow, making the half in light look like an angel._

_Even though Piper was the last recruit to the Storm Hawks, she and Aerrow had immediately clicked. It was like they had known each other for years when really it had only been less than a month. They had become very good friends in a short space of time. And it wasn't like Piper had never seen a guy without his top on! Finn always had his top off when he was sunbathing._

_But this was different._

_Piper quietly stepped into the room and the door closed automatically behind her without Aerrow noticing. She slid behind a crash mat and peeked over the top._

_Aerrow was standing on his tiptoes on the bar high in the air. Even just his stance looked like it required all of his concentration to stay balanced on the thin piece of smooth metal. The training room stretched through the three floors of the Condor, designed purposely so that its occupants could train in the air while having crash mats and safety nets to catch them, unlike outside where the only thing that would catch them would be a sharp rock in the wastelands. Even so, Junko had had to move the high bar right up to the ceiling at Aerrow's request so he could do some more __vigorous training. It looked like this was it._

_His toned chest heaved as Aerrow took a deep breath and let it out of his mouth. His arms were raised on either side of his body at shoulder height and his eyes were closed. Piper watched with bated breath. Suddenly, his eyes shot open. Gracefully, Aerrow leapt backwards off the bar, sweeping his arms up high over his head. He began falling, twisting with increasing speed in a high backwards dive, until he reached the medium bar._

_Both of his hands grabbed hold of the bar firmly and his body swung round it once, twice, three times. At the top of the third spin, his body stopped spinning and Aerrow held a perfectly still handstand. Piper, being much lower down than Aerrow, saw clearly the strain on his face as he fought to control the forces of gravity, and the ship's jerky movements, on his body. After several seconds he slowly lifted one hand off the bar and held it out to the side. Several more seconds passed as he held that pose. Then, to Piper's increasing amazement, he bent the one arm holding the bar and re-stretched it, doing push ups on the bar. His handstand stayed completely still and straight except for the up and down motions of the push ups. Piper watched his eyebrows contract in concentration and sweat glisten on his brow. After about twenty push ups, Aerrow switched arms by pushing off and landing the other hand on the bar. His handstand wavered for a second before he gained control once more._

_Another twenty push ups later and Aerrow flipped off onto the low bar. Piper thought his work-out must be over since she had heard him fighting before he had even started on the bars, but it looked like it carried on. Aerrow stood perched on one foot, not wavering once in his perfect balance, and started kicking at invisible opponents high in the air. He used his arms to block invisible attacks and to balance when he swiveled on the one foot._

_At one moment Piper nearly screamed out. Aerrow's footing on the smooth metal slipped and he fell backwards off the bar. Piper almost stepped out of her hiding place to run to his aid when he hit the floor, but he never even got close. As soon as he slipped he threw out one hand and spun up again into the air. He twisted in the air to face the right direction and landed easily. Since he was facing Piper's direction she had to stifle a giggle as she saw his face. He looked angry with himself for falling, but there was something comical about the confusion and annoyance in his green eyes. He shook his head, took up his stance, and started kicking again._

_Time seemed to pass even slower than usual. Piper couldn't have been there much longer than five minutes, but it felt like she had been there for hours. Aerrow's movements were either so slow and controlled that she was holding her breath in anticipation of him making a wrong move and falling, or so fast and deadly as lightning that she didn't dare to blink and miss any movement._

_After the imaginary fights on the three bars, Aerrow moved onto tumble runs on the mats, occasionally including a vault or trampoline. He flipped and spun so effortlessly that Piper felt like she could watch him train for ever, watch him glide and fly like he was part of the air around him. And he was so…so…Well, to put it bluntly, he was so…hot! His muscles were just the right size, not too bulgy and solid, but he was very muscular for a fourteen year old human. His beautiful green eyes could penetrate everybody and turn any girl's legs to jelly. And his hair! It was like fire, completely un-__tameable__ and out of control just like him, but it was so perfect._

_It was in those five minutes that she watched him train, that Piper realized that she liked him more than friends should like each other. It was a stronger feeling than just friendly affection; it was much deeper than that, and it would only grow deeper the closer they got._

I'm not being shallow, _Piper thought,_ I don't only like him because he's, well, totally gorgeous and strong and handsome. Those are good, of course! But I like him because he'll do just about anything just for the thrill of it. He's so…bad boy! But he's a Sky Knight! He's all into hard work and perseverance and following the rules, but then he goes and breaks all the rules by taking a short cut! I've never met anyone like him. And I've never felt this way about anyone. _Piper admitted to herself._

_A loud thud sounded close by and Piper immediately went into panic mode, fearing the worst and picturing broken bones and torn muscles. When she looked over the top of the mat, however, it was just Aerrow landing on another crash mat underneath the bars. He doubled over with his hands on his knees and panted for breath. Finally he stretched out and reached for a towel to wipe his face with._

_Piper wasn't sure if Aerrow would have minded being watched while he trained. He always managed to find something for everyone else to do that ended up with him being left in there alone. He probably wouldn't mind, but to be sure, she pressed the button to open the door and stood in the doorway, making it look like she had just come in. Aerrow turned around, towel in hand. When he saw her, Piper was nervously pleased to see that his flushed cheeks turned redder._

"_Hey Piper. What're you doing in here? I thought you hated gyms."_

"_I…I mean we…were wondering where you were. It's 18:00. Everyone's eating." Piper felt her own cheeks tinting as she couldn't stop her eyes from roving over his toned chest. Aerrow didn't notice as he was busy trying to wipe away the grime from his pink face._

"_Sorry. I was just finishing up. I'll get changed and then I'll see you on the bridge."_

_Aerrow gave her a grin and walked past her with the towel round his shoulders. Piper followed him out and watched him walk down the walkway to his room. A small smile graced her lips as she turned the opposite way and made her way back to the bridge._

_End Flashback_

Piper looked up at the high bar right by the ceiling. If she squinted her eyes, the red light from the skies of Cyclonia shining in through the windows cast a shadow that, with enough imagination, could be the shape of Aerrow, calm and sedate, waiting to begin.

That was what they had to do. To end the war, and perform the sequence to perfection, they had to wait. Only when they were ready, after taking that deep breath, only then they should take the blind dive backwards into the air, into the fight of their lives.

"We're going to win, Aerrow. I'm going to take that chance, and we're going to win."

* * *

**Bloody…hell! Bet that took you all hours to read! Sorry if I've just wasted the best part of your day, but it started off really short, then a good length, and suddenly it's a monstrous 5197 words! Just quirky little memories of how the Storm Hawks formed, but I quite enjoyed Piper's memory :) Aww!**

**The next chapter will be what this chapter was originally going to be, with hopefully a lot more action. But it might take me a long time to write to get it right. Don't worry though! It should be up much quicker than this one was! (_SHOULD!!!)_**


	14. Into The Flames

**Back again! Thank you all for waiting patiently, again! BTW, I'm giving these next few chapters and the previous chapter the same title, but they are all parts of one chapter. Bit weird but I had too many chapter names! Here's the next part, Enjoy!**

Storm Hawks- Where your allegiances lie

Chapter 14- A Battle to end a War – 

Part 2 – Into The Flames

There were just too many of them.

Piper's muscles screamed in protest as she used her staff to knock yet another Talon off his skimmer. As a rare moment of peace reached her, Piper surveyed the battle waging on around her.

The army of Sky Knight Squadrons had flown three quarters of the way into Cyclonia, meeting only border patrols. It was then that the gates of hell had opened and the skimmers had poured out. It seemed like every single able-bodied person in Cyclonia had been given a helmet, a weapon, and then shoved onto a skimmer.

The air around Piper was filled with screams, the clash of metal on metal and the sound of buzzing crystal energy. There was no end to the number of Talons to be fought. As soon as one was defeated another two flew in to take his place. But none of them were as well trained as the army of Squadrons. For every one Squadron member that was taken out, they would take down more than thirty Talons with them. Brute strength and numbers wouldn't win this battle for Cyclonia.

Piper took the brief respite to check up on all of her companions. Since Aerrow wasn't there, someone needed to make sure they were all still alright.

Finn and Junko were tag-teaming since Finn's skimmer had been destroyed early on in the battle. They worked well together; Finn taking out Talons from a distance and Junko barrelling into the ones close by. They both had a few scraped and bruises, but all in all they looked fine. _We're all going to come out of this battle a little more worn than before._ Piper thought, wiping away blood oozing out of a little cut on her shoulder.

The Condor was a little further behind all the battling skimmers. Stork had managed to give the shields a bit of a boost so the Condor could take some damage. He was firing at the huge Cyclonian carriers, trying to knock a few of the Talon's repair stations into the wastelands. Radarr was onboard with him, helping to repair the ship and keep it in the air. The other Squadron carriers were lined up next to the Condor and the different coloured blasts from the cannons lit up the sky in a multicoloured spectrum.

A little way off from Piper, Starling was taking down every Talon that came within five feet of her. Her nun-chucks flashed as her purple hair whipped about her face. Her jaw was set and her eyes were narrowed. Out of all of them, she looked the least hurt, but her grim expression clearly told Piper that she didn't expect this battle to be over any time soon.

Another wave of Talons reached Piper so she was forced to return to the battle.

It felt like they had been fighting for hours. There were always more Talons to fight, more bruises to be acquired. But although they were all getting tired, every second brought them closer to the centre of Cyclonia. They couldn't be more than an hour of fighting away from victory.

"Piper watch out!"

The flash of red energy passed so close to Piper's head that she heard the sizzling of the tips of her hair being burnt. She turned quickly to see who it was. The usual famous sneer greeted her.

Maybe they weren't that close to victory after all.

The Dark Ace looked as menacing as ever, with his skimmer revved up and his sword blazing.

"Master Cyclonis thought it would be so much easier to dispose of you if you were all worn down a little by the time I arrived."

His reflexes were so good that even the sneaky purple shot behind him never got past his guarded sword. He casually turned his head to return Starling's glare of pure hatred.

"It would have been a good plan, if your pathetic Talons weren't so easy to beat!" The Dark Ace gave a chuckle.

"And yet here you are still fighting them. _So_ nice to see you again after all these years Starling!"

"Can't say I feel the same way, Dark Ace."

Those few short sentences were all the conversation between the two. Immediately, the Dark Ace flew in for an attack. Starling veered her skimmer around and shot away, leading him on a wild goose chase, dodging between Talons and Sky Knights, both sending blasts with deadly aim, but neither ever hitting their target.

Starling's skimmer wasn't as armoured as the Dark Ace's, but it made up for its weakness by being that extra bit faster. She would have been shot out of the sky by one of his blasts by now if her skimmer wasn't so well designed for fast turns and sudden accelerations.

For the moment the Dark Ace was simply using brute strength. He wasn't throwing all of himself into the fray with Starling, as was his style; instead he was stalking her like a lion stalks its prey, taking many wide, powerful shots at her. He had a grin like a cat on his face and the deadly playfulness in his eyes sickly reminded Piper of Radarr playing with the mice on the Condor before he killed them.

Starling looked much more worn down. The hours of battling with the Talons had drained much of her energy and gave her face a hard, shadowy cast to it as she desperately avoided the Dark Ace.

_None of my shots are even getting near him!_ _How do I beat the un-beatable?_ Starling's thoughts were painfully slow coming. _Think like Aerrow..._

Pulling back sharply, Starling pulled into a steep climb. She ducked yet again as another buzz of red energy missed her head. A quick glance back showed that the Dark Ace knew roughly where she was, but the thick canopy of battling bodies and skimmers hid her from view. Starling took a deep breath like she remembered watching Aerrow do, checked the Dark Ace's position, and let go...

* * *

"Damn." The elite Dark Ace growled to himself. The purple haired woman had vanished from view and was nowhere to be seen. She wasn't a threat, barely worth the trouble really, but it was frustrating. It made the Dark Ace feel vulnerable, and he should never, ever feel vulnerable.

_Except that one time when those damned Storm Hawks hid in the clouds when they were pulling off that rescue from Terra Gale._ Despite his surroundings, a new sneer came onto his lips. That was when he had first told Aerrow that he would make a good Talon. _And I was right. He's definitely the most talented kid to join us, willingly or not. But he needs a new name. Hmm. Where is he anyway?_

The Dark Ace pulled his thoughts back to the fight. It wasn't like him to get distracted in the middle of a battle. Starling was still nowhere in clear view, but she was somewhere above him. _Just you try it._ His red eyes glanced upwards before closing as he tilted his head slightly to the side. He blocked out the noise around him, ears strained for that one tiny sound, and waited...

* * *

High above him, Starling was dropping away from her skimmer like a bullet. Her eyes were squinted against the fierce wind and her knuckles were white from grasping her nun-chucks so tightly. One shot. One perfect shot. She took in a sharp breath...

* * *

The corners of the Dark Ace's mouth curled up...

* * *

The red blade plunged directly into Starling's side. Her mouth opened as a scream of pain erupted from the tearing gash carving into her body. The already cold fingers of her hands clenched once before her nun-chucks fell from her hands. She landed, hard, on the back of the Dark Ace's skimmer, an impact that rattled every bone in her body.

The Dark Ace let out a mirthless laugh. His cruel hawk eyes narrowed maliciously and shone with gross delight and pleasure. His breathing was irregular as he remembered the thrill and excitement that had coursed through him when he killed the old Storm Hawks. Now that same ecstasy was pumping through his body. Once more death made no difference, just the fact that he would be rewarded by the master, and his name would be even more famous than ever. He pushed away his pathetic fears.

"And now," He said to the fallen woman at his mercy. "I finish what Repton started years ago. Goodbye, Starling, old friend." He added in an undertone at the end. He raised his huge blade, burning with the same fire inside him, and stabbed down-

-into the metal of his skimmer!

* * *

**Bet you didn't see that coming! I wanted to include more Starling, and that's what we ended up with! Will she survive? Will she perish? Review quickly and you just might find out!**


	15. Loopholes

**Finally updated! Nothing more to say, just sorry again! Enjoy!**

Storm Hawks- Where your allegiances lie

Chapter 15- A Battle to end a War – 

Part 3 – Loopholes

Piper supported the gravely injured Interceptor on her Heliscooter. Starling's blood was seeping through her purple and yellow uniform and dripping all over Piper's knees. Her eyes fluttered gently as she passed between conscious- and unconscious-ness. She needed immediate treatment or she would be lost within minutes. Piper's crystal gauge was beeping madly at her, telling her that if she didn't reach the Condor in time they would both be doomed anyway.

The Dark Ace let out a yell of anger behind her. It wasn't a proper roar of rage, but more one of annoyance that his prey had escaped him.

The Heliscooter jerked uncontrollably beneath her and gave a shudder. The panic bubbling up inside of Piper intensified as Starling let out a gut wrenching scream. _Come on. Come on!_ She urged her ride to go faster as the landing bay of the Condor rose into view. It gave one last shudder, and the engines cut out completely. Desperately Piper aimed at the open hanger bay.

They made it.

Just.

Her Heliscooter screeched as the wheels struggled to get a grip on the smooth metal. They slid right up to the doors which opened automatically as Piper dragged Starling off her ride. She staggered into the nearest room which happened to be one of the old first aid rooms. It was there for emergencies just like this.

Piper pulled away the burnt material of Starling's top so she could see her hip better. She grimaced and reached for the nearest first aid pack.

Starling's wound was longer than the length of Piper's hand, running from a little bit below and to the left of her belly button to her hip. It was over an inch wide and looked very deep. Blood was spilling freely all over the bed onto the plain white sheets. Starling's eyes were still as she lay in agonised unconsciousness.

Piper didn't know much about first aid, but she knew that somehow she needed to stem the continuous flow of blood. She grabbed hold of several bandages and poured antiseptic on them before pushing down hard on the wound. Starling's body jerked and shivered underneath Piper's blood covered hands. Slowly she started to relax and Piper was able to rummage around in the bare cupboards until she found some weak healing crystals.

Another ten minutes passed quickly as Piper did her best to attend to Starling's wound. Despite the seriousness of it, now her blood loss had been partially replenished by the energy of healing crystals and the bandages were stopping any more blood escaping, Starling lay still and only slightly pained. It seemed that the cut had been deep, but not deep enough to reach any vital organs, although it had only narrowly missed a muscle that, if had been severed, would have left Starling disabled for life. It would still be a little while before they could find out exactly how badly Starling was injured though.

Piper slumped back in the straight-backed chair next to Starling's bed and wiped her eyes. Fatigue pulled at every part of her body, but she knew she had to get back into the fight. Thoughtfully, she picked up one of the healing crystals and activated it. Slowly, warmth spread out from her hand to the rest of her body, bringing fresh life and vigour to her muscles. After a minute she dropped the useless crystal on the table and left for the hanger bay.

* * *

The Dark Ace was waiting for her as she took off from the landing strip. Piper watched him warily, she knew she had no chance of taking him alone, and with Starling still out of it and Finn and Junko some way off, the odds didn't look all that great.

"So you finally came out to face me. How's your friend?" He sneered. "Hope I didn't do too much damage."

"Starling is more than fine!" Piper yelled back. "It'll take a lot more than you to put her out of action!"

"Oh, but where is she now? Getting a little low of friends now, aren't we Piper."

Piper wanted to fly straight up to him and wipe that grin off his face, but she had better sense than to put herself within reach of his deadly blade.

"Where is he?" She demanded.

"He's right behind you."

Piper forgot he was the Dark Ace. She forgot she was in the middle of a battlefield. She forgot about never lowering your weapon. The thought of him made her forget everything else.

She turned around and the corners of her eyes caught a flash of red. The sound of a skimmer accelerating forwards made her swivel in her seat again. The Dark Ace was flying straight for her with his sword outstretched in front of him. He lunged forwards, straight for her open neck, with murder in his eyes.

And suddenly a very familiar arm crashed down in front of Piper and forced the Dark Ace's blade away from her throat.

"What?!" The Dark Ace had to lean forward to catch his long blade before it fell out of reach. Straightening up, he looked at the newcomer and gave an uncontrolled yell of laughter.

Piper's eyes followed the red glowing dagger up to the strong arm, up to the toned torso, until they locked with the green orbs in his eyes.

"How rude of me Aerrow!" Dark Ace broke in. "She's all yours."

Apparently, these were the last words Aerrow wanted to hear. A flicker of panic crossed his face and he pulled his skimmer's controls so hard he almost tore them out of the sockets in his haste to turn back to where he had come from.

Piper was only slowly coming back to her senses. She tried to shake off the feeling of incoming doom by reminding herself who had just saved her the trouble of trying to fight off the Dark Ace herself. She snapped back to reality as she noticed how frantically Aerrow was trying to fly away before the Dark Ace could speak, it seemed. Too late.

"Get her."

It looked like lightning struck Aerrow. A yellow shock ran all through his body and forced him to let go of the controls. Piper almost let out a cry of desperation. _She can't have found another way to force him into obedience! _Agonisingly slowly, Aerrow turned the skimmer around to face Piper and the Dark Ace.

Piper raised her staff into the defence position in expectation of the attack. It wasn't long before the red blasts started coming. As much as she hated to do it, Piper sent back a few shots of ice crystals and several almost made contact. Just when it seemed they would connect, Aerrow's arm would have a funny sort of spasm and move to protect him, despite his apparent attempts to keep it locked behind him. All the time Aerrow was glaring and frowning, his face creased in pain.

"Stop."

The single word seemed to release Aerrow of all his tension. He stopped firing immediately and his blades hung loosely in his hands. He started mumbling with his eyes closed.

"Stork Junko Finn Radarr Starling Piper Rosella Condor Cyclonis Dark Ace. Stork Junko Finn..." And on and on he went, repeating the names like a mantra with his eyes screwed shut against the sights and sounds of battle.

Piper's eyes kept darting between Aerrow and the Dark Ace. She didn't know exactly what was wrong but it was obvious that Cyclonis had found something that physically forced Aerrow to obey her. _Knowing Cyclonis, _Piper thought, _it's a new crystal. _The Dark Ace laughed.

"So you think you've found a solution to the memory loss do you?" He was talking to Aerrow, but turned his gaze to sneer at Piper.

"I suspect the name 'Shocker' will have some effect on you Piper? Yes, I thought so. But you won't know about its new feature, specially designed by Master Cyclonis. It's been combined with a crystal that erases the memory. The more Aerrow disobeys, the more he forgets. However," the Dark Ace's face took on a look of impatience, "It seems Aerrow thinks he can trick it by constantly thinking about everyone he wants to remember." His sneer returned. "But I can find a loophole around that. Aerrow!"

Aerrow's eyes shot open and focused on the Dark Ace but his mouth kept on repeating the names of his friends. The Dark Ace opened his mouth to command him again, but Piper took a shot at him. He ducked, avoiding it easily, then continued to Aerrow.

"Cyclonia is home."

Aerrow's eyes widened in surprise but un-knowingly he replaced every other name with the Dark Ace's words. Suddenly the words stopped and he forced his mouth closed, his eyes narrowing angrily at the Dark Ace.

"You have no choice."

"Aerrow-" Piper was caught off guard as Aerrow flew in to attack her. His face was blank of emotion now as he fixed his resolve. Her jaw clenched as Piper set her own.

"If this is what I have to do."

He leaned to his left as he flew by her and extended one blazing red dagger. Her staff twisted round his weapon in an attempt to disarm him, but his wrist twisted skilfully to keep a solid grip. The second dagger came crashing down onto her arm, hitting the armour with a solid thump. The staff let out a gust of cold air, forcing the dagger to draw back.

He flew beneath her and stabbed into the front wheel, rocking the Heliscooter from side to side. She pulled up into a loop and fired shots of solid ice at his open body. He rolled round sideways and the ice hit the underneath of his skimmer harmlessly. An answering blast took off a small chunk of her ride as he righted himself. She flew down to ram him, prodding him in the side with her staff. A bruise for a bruise. As the Heliscooter jerked his ride she slapped his hand with the other end of her staff, activating it when it made contact. A burst of ice froze the dagger instantly, but the underestimated timing enveloped his hand too. She deactivated it in horror.

He let out a puff of breath and swung his arm at her head with the dagger frozen to his hand. She ducked and his hand smashed into the back of her seat. The ice shattered and the dagger separated from his hand, falling away into the wasteland. He twisted his skimmer away from her, clutching his blue hand to his chest. She flew forwards after him but he shot a blast of energy at her, making her pause. He sneered at her, the same evil grin as the Dark Ace's, and waved his dagger over his immobile hand. The energy restored the warmth in his hand and he sneered at her again, but the sneer didn't quite reach his eyes.

_You try to act like you've made up your mind, but you'll never be happy like this._

"Piper!" Junko and Finn were battling their way through the Talons to reach her. She yelled out a warning to them.

"His actions are controlled by Cyclonis' crystal." Their hopeful faces fell at the news of this next barrier.

Piper looked towards Aerrow, whose false sneer was still in place. Her eyes locked with his, and the finality in them made her stomach drop. He straightened up and activated his one remaining dagger extended out to his side as Junko's skimmer, also bearing Finn, came up next to Piper's.

"This, I choose to do." His voice wavered for the tiniest fraction of a second. Junko picked up on this.

"But what if we free you?" He pleaded. The corner of Aerrow's mouth twitched, then returned to its stony imitation of the Dark Ace.

"Until further notice, I work for Cyclonia." There was no waver this time.

"Then you can have this back." The Dark Ace appeared next to Aerrow and threw his dagger back to him, defrosted and ignited. The moment Aerrow caught it the fight started all over again.

Finn didn't hesitate to start firing. Aerrow twisted from side to side, rolling in half and full turns with ease. Piper added her own shots in with Finn's, slowing Aerrow's advance. Lots of small shots made contact, ice slashing his cheek, energy stinging his arm. But in retaliation several of his much larger shots hit chests and heads.

_Ironic really,_ Piper thought, _His design of armour is what's protecting us from him._

When he was close enough, Aerrow took a slash at the three of them, scattering them instantly. Junko hit at him as he flew passed but, of course, Aerrow was too fast and the swing fell short.

He did a sharp loop back and flew upside-down over Piper. The screech of metal on metal was loud as he sliced the tips off the Heliscooter's blades. Piper dropped sickeningly, but he hadn't cut enough off to make her ride completely useless.

Then he laughed: an evil chuckle, devoid of mercy, of love, of anything but the thoughts being whispered into his head by the Dark Ace.

Suddenly a new skimmer came between Aerrow and the other Storm Hawks. Blaine was sat haughtily on his skimmer and looking at Aerrow with the same look of disdain as he had looked at Piper.

"Blaine!" Piper exclaimed. She wasn't sure whether she was relieved or annoyed that he was stepping in.

"The one and only, Princess." He said jokingly.

Definitely annoyed.

"What are you doing?" Piper snapped back. Aerrow hadn't moved, but the laugh had disturbed her. It was the Dark Ace's laugh, and she thought she could see the faintest shadow of red in Aerrow's eyes. The crystal was having many effects on him, and with the Dark Ace's thoughts in his head, he was becoming more like him every second. That made him unpredictable, and all the more dangerous for it.

"Saving your life, what else? You can thank me later."

"You said you wouldn't interfere! We have this under control!"

"Of course you do. Now let me show you what a real Sky Knight is."

At this, Aerrow laughed again. Although it sounded more like him than the Dark Ace now, there was a bitter edge Piper wasn't used to.

"As if that's the first time I've heard that one before."

He leant back casually on his ride and sneered at Blaine. "Do your worst."

Blaine fired some purple shots which Aerrow easily avoided. They collided with each with a crash and they exchanged several fast slices.

Aerrow rolled around and under Blaine's skimmer and stabbed up into the core of it. Blaine reached round and parried the attack before it could do any damage. Quick as a flash, with his other dagger Aerrow sliced a shallow cut into Blaine's arm. He drew back and rolled round to be level with Aerrow, clutching his bleeding arm.

Aerrow laughed at Blaine's surprised face.

"Come on then! Try to teach me something I didn't learn before you were even allowed to touch a blade!" Blaine's face went into a snarl of anger and he flew at Aerrow.

Aerrow leapt nimbly off his own ride and landed on the wing of Blaine's, laughing as he startled Blaine by rocking the skimmer. He crossed one leg over the other and leant against Blaine's larger than normal windscreen.

"Too quick for you?"

"You think you're a match for me."

Blaine swiped at Aerrow's feet but he simply jumped over him to land on the opposite wing. He started attacking, forcing Blaine to stand up on the wings too to defend himself. The strain was evident on Blaine's face.

"A little unsteady, are we?" Aerrow's taunts again seemed more like his old self, but they had the Dark Ace's hard edge to them.

Junko tried to fly closer to help and Finn raised his crossbow to shoot, but Blaine shouted at them to get back.

"Let us help!" Finn begged. "You've seen him now. You _know_ he's good! Too good to take on your own!"

At that moment Aerrow swivelled round and kicked Blaine's blade out of his hands. It dropped down into the wastelands, deactivating as it fell. Blaine slipped onto his back and lay panting with Aerrow's blade at his throat.

_A brief flash of memory, of a younger boy with red hair and green eyes in the same position in the skies __over a great canyon, with a similar red blade held by an older, black haired man pointed at him._

Aerrow blinked hard as the random memory came to him. But he couldn't be distracted now. The Dark Ace's voice in his head was telling him to finish off this stupid, pathetic man. He had questioned his talents. He needed to die.

"Stop!"

The resounding cry made Aerrow pause mid-strike. It wasn't from any of the other Storm Hawks, surrounding Blaine's skimmer and waiting to fire. Nor was it from any of the other fighters, far away from this little bubble of serious fighting.

It came from a large, wide open window on the Condor. Starling, bandaged and leaning heavily on crutches, was looking out at the fight.

"You don't have to do that Aerrow." Her voice was full of authority, but it could only falter Aerrow's sneer, not remove it.

"You have _no _ide_-_"

His sentence was lost as Starling gently guided someone else into the light. The old woman's clothes were torn and tatty, and many white bandages hid her numerous wounds. Her grey hair was long and limp and her skin was wrinkled. One whisper of breath escaped Aerrow's numb lips.

"_Rosella._"

His daggers deactivated as his arms lowered fractionally. Blaine watched him warily, as did Finn, Junko and Piper.

"No!"

Aerrow suddenly dropped his daggers as one hand flew to hug his middle as the other clutched at his chest. He bent over in half and took a staggered step forwards.

The Dark Ace was leaning forwards and frowning in intense concentration at Aerrow.

"Obey!" He commanded.

Yellow sparks of electricity could be seen flickering all over Aerrow's body. He twitched as they jolted round his body. The Dark Ace frowned even deeper.

"If you won't obey, I'll take things back into my own hands!" The Dark Ace fired a huge shot at the space just next to Starling and Rosella. Piper, Finn and Junko zoomed in to intercept the Dark Ace, but he disappeared in the smoke of the explosion.

He reappeared quickly, this time holding a screaming Rosella on his skimmer.

"Stop him!" Yelled Piper. Junko immediately complied, with Finn aiming for his engine. A sudden shot from Aerrow distracted him.

"Sorry to dash Storm Hawks, but I'm sure Master Cyclonis would just love to see dear old Rosella again. In the mean time, Aerrow, destroy the Storm Hawks!"

"No!" Aerrow unwillingly picked up his weapons and grimaced as he fought to stop them firing.

"Aerrow, buddy! You've got to stop!" Junko pleaded. Aerrow opened his red eyes to glare at Junko before firing right at the skimmer. Finn and Junko jumped off and activated their parachutes just before it blew up.

He leapt back onto his own skimmer, destroying Blaine's and leaving Blaine dangling by a parachute too, before he clenched his eyes shut again.

"Stop Aerrow!" Piper screamed as he aimed at Finn and Junko's floating bodies.

When his eyes flashed open, they were green again.

"Change your name!" He shouted hoarsely at her. Red slowly crept in from the edges even as Piper watched, and he clenched his eyes shut again.

"What name?" Finn yelled as Aerrow's blade shakily took aim at him, even with his eyes tightly closed.

Just at that moment, Wren's voice crackled over Piper's radio.

"Chicken Hawks, come in Chicken Hawks. We have need of assistance."

"Chicken Hawks!" Piper screamed. "We aren't the Storm Hawks, we're the Chicken Hawks!"

As she said this, Aerrow shuddered one more time, then the shocks stopped and he was able to straighten up again. The red was gone from his eyes, but instead there was blank confusion on his face.

_The mind erasing._ Piper thought with a shiver. _He doesn't know what has happened._

"Aerrow?" She asked uncertainly.

His lowered eyes snapped to her, and after several seconds his eyes widened.

Without any warning, he turned his skimmer sharply around and flew at full speed in the direction the Dark Ace had gone.

It took Piper's only a fraction of that time to decide.

"I'm going after him!" She called, out-loud and over the radio. "Follow me as soon as you can!"

And with that she flew off after him, into the heart of Cyclonia.

* * *

**Bet that took forever to read! Hope that's kept you hooked**** and will keep you all hanging before the next chappie's out. Again, it will be a while, but this chapter is about the length of two usual ones so you can't complain! Read and Review please!**


	16. The Chase

**...-peeks out from under the computer-...umm hi! I know I know it's been absolutely ages since I last updated and I'm so sorry for all of you who have been telling me to update and get a move on. To be honest I almost gave up on this story because I couldn't find ANYthing to write, but I decided I couldn't leave it unfinished no matter what. I hate it when people never finish a story, so I didn't want to be a hypocrite and do the same myself! Sorry again for such the long wait, I hope it's been worth it! Please review it so I can see if anyone is still following it lol. Ok without further ado, chapter 16! Enjoy!**

Storm Hawks- Where your allegiances lie

Chapter 16- A Battle to end a War – 

Part 4 – The Chase

_I need a skimmer,_ was Piper's only thought as she struggled with her Heliscooter. Aerrow's skimmer was impossible to keep up with, particularly because he was pushing it to the max.

Piper dodged an outstretched blade aiming for her head and squinted through the throng of bodies and skimmers. She only managed to catch glimpses of Aerrow before he disappeared behind someone. She leant forwards.

Her Heliscooter was more manoeuvrable than most other skimmers, but Aerrow's exceptional talent and skimmer modifications made him even harder to catch up with, as he was able to spin or barrel roll out of danger.

From the little she could see around her, it looked like the Sky Knights were pushing the Cyclonians back. But as she followed Aerrow further into the very centre of Cyclonia, she saw with sudden dread that the gates into hell itself were opening. Out were pouring a rolling mass of night crawlers. _The pawns always go first in chess, _Piper thought to herself as she watched the elite fighting team charge past the red and green talons.

She pulled her eyes away from the impeding trouble and focused on the immediate danger of losing Aerrow.

Too late.

"Damn!" Piper swore under her breath and pushed her ride faster.

* * *

It was just as she was circling around a spire that she saw him. His skimmer was in a sudden drop as he spiralled down to an empty landing bay.

Piper quickly flew down and was just above him as he leapt off his skimmer.

"Aerrow!" His head snapped up. Piper warily stopped her Heliscooter a little way away from him when he snarled at her.

"Get away from here." The venom in his voice was laced with pain and fear.

"I can help you!" Aerrow's slight hesitation at her words turned out to be his worst mistake.

"No-one can help you now." The shadowy figure of the Dark Ace was behind Aerrow in a flash, sword pressed to throat. Aerrow stiffened and his hand automatically reached for his daggers. "I wouldn't do that." The blade dug into his throat and a trickle of blood seeped into his high neck line. His hand froze and slowly lowered to his side. "You've disobeyed Master Cyclonis and me for the last time, Aerrow."

With a sharp jerk, Dark Ace stepped back into the shadows of Cyclonia, dragging Aerrow with him.

"No!" _I won't lose him again!_ Piper thought furiously, as she jumped off her Heliscooter still several inches off the floor. She activated her staff and followed them into the darkness.

* * *

Shadows were all around Piper. The very air seemed heavy with anticipation as she stalked into Cyclonia. Crashes and bangs could still be heard from outside. Piper was dying to know who had the upper hand, but her main focus at the moment was Aerrow.

A sudden scuffle made her stop dead in her tracks and stand frozen, ears straining for the tiniest sound. A moment later though, and it was gone. Disheartened, but not defeated, Piper headed stealthily for where it had come from.

Soon afterwards more sounds much closer reached her. A dim light reached her as she rounded a corner and it gradually grew into a brighter corridor. She leapt to the side as a trio of guards marched past, then stiffened when the Dark Ace and Aerrow appeared from a dark corner opposite her. Aerrow was struggling fiercely against the Dark Ace and a steady line of blood was dripping down his neck from where the sword had cut into him.

"Where is she? Tell me what you've done with her!"

"I answer to no-one Aerrow, least of all to you." Was the Dark Ace's scathing reply.

"You answer to Cyclonis. You follow her around like a pathetic little-"

"I am Master Cyclonis' chosen! Atmosia is finished. Cyclonis will lead us into a new age of Cyclonian rule with me by her side, and you on her other."

"Never!"

Aerrow's struggling increased but the Dark Ace was solid and immoveable. Piper gripped her staff tightly: soon they would be close enough for her to attack.

"Stand still."

The Dark Ace's command forced Aerrow to freeze. Several shocks racked his body and his eyes and fists clenched. He gritted his teeth but obviously obeyed, stopping the shocks and, Piper hoped, retaining his memory.

The Dark Ace let go of him and stepped round in front of Aerrow to look him in the eye.

"Rosella is under lock and key, and is also currently under a sword." Piper saw Aerrow stiffen further and look at the Dark Ace with cold eyes. "She will die the _second_ Master Cyclonis gives the order, no hesitations, no interruptions. If you want her to live, you will obey me, right now." Aerrow let out a shaky breath and stared at the floor as he gave a tiny nod. "Now walk behind me, do not speak unless I tell you to, and do not move otherwise unless I order you to."

Aerrow complied and set off at a steady pace behind the Dark Ace. They were close to Piper now. Almost close enough.

"Black Arrow. I think that would be a suitable name for you now. Don't you agree?"

"I don't think that I'll be needing it for very long thanks."

"Keep telling yourself that Black Arrow," Dark Ace said with a smirk, "But once it's down on the official documents, it's you."

"What documents?"

The Dark Ace chose not to answer, instead he opened a door that led off to another corridor and walked through, completely missing Piper's hiding place. She darted through after Aerrow had followed as silently as she could before the door closed on her. She snuck into another shadow and had to suppress a gasp of anger as she saw who was waiting for the Dark Ace and Aerrow to join him.

"You're late." The Dark Ace growled.

"My sincerest apologies, Dark Ace." Domowick said sarcastically with a jerky bow. "It's not an easy thing to break out of the Atmosian prison, you know."

"Domowick!" Aerrow was in as much shock as Piper, but his speech earned him several shocks which left him gasping through gritted teeth. Domowick merely shot Aerrow his award winning smile and produced a wad of papers.

"So here's the groom at last!" He laughed openly at Aerrow's confusion and anger as he handed the papers to the Dark Ace. "There you go. You'll find everything is there. All it takes now is a signature."

"Excellent." The Dark Ace's sneer made Piper's blood run cold, but she couldn't see how she could fight off Dark Ace and Domowick together. She watched and waited.

"Sign there, as the Black Arrow."

Dark Ace put a pen in Aerrow's hand and he reluctantly moved towards the paper.

"Official consent of marriage. With your signature Domowick can legally bind you to Master Cyclonis."

With a yell of shock and panic, Piper leapt out of her hiding place.

The corridor was suddenly filled with the flashes and bangs of crystal fire. Dust and debris flew up from all around the old corridor and the mayhem of sight and sound faded down as suddenly as it had started. As the dust settled again, Piper took in everyone's frozen positions.

Aerrow was standing with the document in one hand and the pen shaking in the other. Domowick was near him, weapon-less, his hands up. The Dark Ace was opposite Piper, sword out aiming at her, while she had her staff aimed at him and a crystal at the un-protected Domowick. Silence and stillness lasted for a minute as everyone looked at each other, except for Aerrow, who was still staring at the document and trying to control his shaking hand.

Piper broke the silence.

"What are you doing here?" Domowick laughed before answering her, still eyeing her crystal warily.

"I might have had my status as a Sky Knight ripped away from me, but my position as a Joiner can't be taken away."

"You're a Joiner?" Piper asked with a gasp. Now the Dark Ace answered her.

"Official. Legal. Once Aerrow's signature is on that document there is nothing that can stop Domowick here from joining him and Master Cyclonis in holy matrimony. And then we not only have a King of Atmos, we have a Queen." He laughed scornfully at her panic. "Aerrow, sign it!"

Piper acted as the first shocks hit Aerrow. The blue crystal in her hand glowed suddenly and Domowick fell to the floor, frozen solid. The Dark Ace let out a battle cry as he ran at her with his sword in two hands.

Piper ducked and rolled away from the Dark Ace's onslaught.

"Aerrow don't sign it!" She yelled. The shocks were increasing as he fought against his hand that was slowly inching the pen closer to the paper.

Piper leapt towards him, intending to snatch the paper away from him and tear it into pieces, but a sharp kick to the ribs left her gasping for breath. She raised her staff not a second too soon as the Dark Ace slashed his sword down at her mercilessly.

She twisted her wrist to spin the red blade out of his hands, but Dark Ace merely rolled with it until he was on her other side. Piper swung the staff at his feet and felt the satisfying _clunk_ as the ice crystal made contact with one of his legs.

"Argh!" The Dark Ace staggered backwards and tripped over the block of ice encompassing his leg. Piper took the opportunity to jump to her feet and span around to find Aerrow.

His entire body was convulsing grotesquely as he fought against the shocks forcing his muscles into movement. He dropped to one knee, shaking his head, as a yell of agony ripped out of his mouth.

"Fight it Aerrow!" Piper screamed as she ran towards him. Her hand lashed out and snatched the paper off him.

"No!" Aerrow was suddenly on his feet too, and when he opened his eyes Piper was horrified to see the red creeping into his irises like before.

"Come and get it!" With the paper clutched tightly in her hand she charged at a door and leapt through it. The slamming of the door a second time told her that Aerrow was chasing after her, the shocks in his body forcing him to follow the paper he had to sign.

Piper pushed her body harder in her struggle to stay in front of Aerrow. He was much faster than her, and she knew he would overtake him easily. If she could only get outside and onto a skimmer then she could lead him back to the Condor. Back to where he would be safe.

But the Dark Ace had other plans as he burst through a door in front of Piper. She grinded to a halt and sprinted off towards another door. She shouldered her way through it and stumbled up the unexpected steps that appeared in front of her. Her heart leapt into her mouth as Master Cyclonis turned to face her from her throne.

"Funny, isn't it? How no matter where you run, no matter how fast, you always end up right back here."

Piper ducked the raw crystal energy fired at her and leapt to the side just as Aerrow and the Dark Ace fell through the door. Yellow shocks were still rippling across Aerrow's body and his eyes were flashing from green to red and back again as he fought the Dark Ace's will for control. The red was clearly winning though, and Aerrow's determined face full of anger was replaced with the dull obedience of a Talon.

"Get that document." Aerrow obeyed the Dark Ace's command immediately, moving with swift, decisive action. He grabbed Piper with one hand and clawed his way to grab hold of the paper with the other.

"No! Aerrow no, you can't! It's me! It's me Piper!" She struggled against him but her back was pressed against the wall and his red eyes glared down at her.

_He doesn't remember. He doesn't remember!_ Pure panic filled Piper as she realised the mind erasing effects of the shocker crystal had finally tamed Aerrow. He had fought back as much as he could, but the crystal still won. Nothing in his memories was strong enough to bring him back.

_He can't forget! He can't! __I love him!_

"Remember!" She screamed.

And then she kissed him.

* * *

**=) Really do hope that was worth the wait, and the next chapter should be up very soon don't worry I'm only going to let you mull over this chapter for a little while. PLEASE REVIEW!!! comments, critiques, congrats, whatever! I just want to get to 100 reviews pleaaaase! =D and I want to see who is still reading! =) !~A4E~!**


	17. Final Blow

****

REVIEW PLEASE.

**That's all I have to say :) since I only had 3 reviews for the last chapter :'( come on people! I'm so generous to you all, Enjoy!  
**

Storm Hawks- Where your allegiances lie

Chapter 17- A Battle to end a War – 

Part 5 – Final Blow

Piper's lips were soft against his own. Her body was pressed up tightly to his and a piece of paper was clenched in one of his hands. The other hand was wrapped around her slim waist. He pulled her closer towards him. The flowery scent of her hair and the taste of her lips filled his entire world. He couldn't remember where they were, or why they were there, but he found that he didn't really care.

"How wonderfully sickening."

The moment dissolved instantly as Master Cyclonis' voice cut through Aerrow's foggy brain. He opened his eyes to see Piper's wide gold eyes staring back at him just a few centimetres away.

* * *

As Aerrow opened his eyes, Piper drew back and stared as the red drained away from his irises. They were no longer dull and empty of thought or memory, but were back to their clear, brilliant green. And they were full of emotion. Lively, alert eyes. Exactly how she remembered and loved them.

"No!"

The Dark Ace's scream was terrible, filled with rage and pure fury. Aerrow spun around to face him, crouched protectively in front of Piper.

"I control you!" He pulled the Shocker from a pocket and held it out pointed at Aerrow. His eyes were bulging manically and his teeth were bared. When nothing happened he suddenly threw the crystal to Master Cyclonis.

"Make it work, witch!" Cyclonis plucked it out of the air and sneered at Aerrow and Piper before shooting.

Piper grabbed onto Aerrow's shoulder and touched the crystal round her neck at the same time. A pulsing green shield erupted around the two of them and the crystal energy rebounded off of it. The Dark Ace yelled as the silver mist hit him.

"Argh!" Aerrow's knees buckled as the same silver mist clenched around his heart. A jagged line of it sparked out and he gasped in pain on his knees as it flew out of him, feeling as though a red hot sword was slowly being pulled from his chest.

The mist dissipated around him as Piper let the shield fall and the new silver fog sank into the Dark Ace's chest. He bent over in half and clutched at his chest. Cyclonis frowned darkly at Piper before pointing at Aerrow.

"Enough games. You are mine, Aerrow. Dark Ace, kill him."

The Dark Ace looked up, panting heavily, and his already red eyes were glowing.

Aerrow reached back and drew his daggers.

* * *

The battle was almost too fast for Piper's eyes to follow.

Aerrow and the Dark Ace span round and round each other, red against red, sparks flying as blades collided, the metal screeching in protest. They danced in a frenzy, blades and kicks combined in sequences of moves not planned out, just followed instinctively in the fight to stay alive. Each looking out for himself. Neither resting. Neither relenting. The battle of will power was over and now all there was left was skill in combat. Both contestants fighting to win, losing an option to neither.

Master Cyclonis seemed content to sit and watch the battle play out, so Piper made no move to interfere. She wished she could help, but a stray shot could easily hit Aerrow at the speed they were moving at.

Aerrow had lost a few plates of armour and the Dark Ace had lost his helmet. His black hair, slick with sweat, whipped around his ferocious face as he snarled and roared at Aerrow. There were no jibes, no taunts, in this fight. The only sounds were the sounds of fury coming from the Dark Ace and the clashing of blades accompanied by flashes of red light.

A well placed kick from Aerrow sent the Dark Ace tumbling across the floor. He landed heavily, flat on his face with a crash. There was a moment of shocked silence before a low rumbling growl came from deep in his throat and he jumped to his feet. He turned and charged at Aerrow again with a furious yell, but his obvious move was easy to block and he was sent sprawling on the floor again. When he didn't make any move to get up, Aerrow cautiously approached the still figure, blades poised to strike. He was a few steps away and the Dark Ace still hadn't moved, when Piper saw the telltale glint of red.

"Aerrow!" Her cry of warning came too late.

He blocked the Dark Ace's round kick, but the blow from the hilt of his sword caught Aerrow unawares. His vision flickered and he staggered backwards.

The Dark Ace began a ferocious onslaught, pushing Aerrow further and further back. One blade was kicked out of his hand and a barrage of punches rained down on Aerrow's unprotected side until his vision returned and he adjusted.

The Dark Ace was relentless, the crystal forcing him to keep going strong and his maniacal anger pushing him over the edge, his snarls becoming crazier by the minute.

Aerrow's breath was coming out in ragged gasps and a line of sweat was rolling down his forehead. Every muscle in his body screamed at the slightest movement and his fingers felt like butter. He was weakening, but the Dark Ace was only getting stronger, pushed on by a mad, unquenchable thirst for Aerrow's death.

It only took one tiny slip up for the Dark Ace to take advantage and spin Aerrow's remaining dagger out of his hands. Aerrow stepped backwards away from the slashing blade, but suddenly his back was up against a wall, and the Dark Ace was right in front of him.

A maniacal laugh burst from the Dark Ace. It was an eerie sound, the most disturbing thing Aerrow had ever heard that set the hair on the back of his neck tingling. It was like Master Cyclonis, but coming from the Dark Ace seemed so much dangerous. Especially since he was standing just an arms distance away with a deadly sword in his hand.

"At last." His voice was more like a hiss than speech, much crueller and colder than his normal sneer. "King or not, you're finished, Aerrow. Finished before you even started."

He gave another laugh, before lunging forwards lightning fast to strike the final blow...

* * *

**A shorty I know, but that's because, yet again I'm afraid, I can't figure out how to phrase what I ****can see in my head :( so at least you got a quick update here, but it might be a little while before I can get the next one up. Hopefully this lil one got you hooked though ;) **


	18. Allegiances

**Hello again after a long wait =) same message, REVIEW PLEASE, because there won't be another chapter for quite a while until my busy life calms down momentarily haha and I need to know what you all think of this chapter. Here we go! Enjoy!**

Storm Hawks- Where your allegiances lie

Chapter 18- A Battle to end a War – 

Part 6 – Allegiances

It all happened so quickly that if she had blinked, Piper would have missed it. The Dark Ace was lunging forwards to strike Aerrow's heart, when suddenly Aerrow grabbed the blazing sword in his bare hands, elbowed Dark Ace in the face and twisted the sword from his grip. He spun it away from his heart to point in the opposite direction. Without a thought as the Dark Ace leapt at him, a feral snarl ripping from his mouth, his black hair messy without his helmet, his red eyes wild, Aerrow stepped forward and plunged the sword into the Dark Ace.

The man's eyes widened and the snarl froze on his lips. He uttered a single groan – then collapsed on top of Aerrow, stone dead.

* * *

Aerrow fell back with the weight and felt the blood gush out of the gaping hole in the Dark Ace's stomach onto him. The stench made him gag and he struggled to shove the body to one side. Panic struck him as he stared wide-eyed at the pool of blood building up in front of him, and he retched as he looked down at his blood stained hands.

_I just killed a man._

The horrific truth crashed down on Aerrow and shivers racked his body. He shuffled back to escape the endless flow, slipping on the smooth, blood covered floor. But he couldn't tear his eyes away from the lifeless body.

_The Dark Ace is dead!_

Piper processed this chunk of information much quicker than Aerrow did, since although the horror of death was there, it was overwhelmed by the feeling of elation. _He can never hurt anyone else again!_ Her mouth opened to yell in triumph, but then her eyes fell on Aerrow as he scrambled back from the body. She took in the blood on his Cyclonian uniform and the look in his eyes.

It was the look of a haunted man, and in an instant she was running towards him.

"Aerrow?" Piper called out carefully. His head flinched slightly to the side, but his eyes either wouldn't, or couldn't, look away. Other than that tiny movement he showed no sign that he even acknowledged her presence.

"Aerrow, it's alri-"

Suddenly a red flash shrouded her vision and Piper slid to an unsteady stop, shielding her eyes with her hand. The light soon dimmed down, leaving Piper several feet away from Aerrow. A huge, faint red barrier now separated her from Aerrow. Piper's eyes narrowed as Master Cyclonis walked up behind him, holding a glowing red crystal in her hand and smiling cruelly at Piper.

Cyclonis stood behind Aerrow and spoke in a calm, quiet voice.

"You've killed him Aerrow."

"No!" Piper let out an exclamation and jumped forwards. She knew what Cyclonis was up to: she was going to destroy Aerrow by making him destroy himself from the inside out._ He'll never fall for that guilt trick. _She tried to convince herself._ He's stronger than this. _But her confidence in Aerrow's stability waned as she looked into his eyes. They looked empty, like the secure Aerrow she knew was hiding deep within himself, leaving just an empty shell on the outside. _He's fine. He's fine. He's just shocked._ She banged on the barrier, but it looked like the sound was a one way thing for Aerrow; he didn't even glance at Piper, but Cyclonis allowed her one quick glance.

"You broke the Sky Knight's code."

"No." Aerrow whispered back, pain straining his voice.

Piper realised that his pain wasn't only for killing the Dark Ace. From Aerrow's face it obviously made up the most part of it, but another unbearable strain was crushing down on top of it; he had broken the Sky Knight's code by killing. The code was un-breakable. He would have to step down from his position on the Squadron.

Being a Sky Knight was Aerrow's entire life.

Not being a Sky Knight would destroy him.

"Yes." Cyclonis was slowly leaning towards his statue still figure. She spoke with relish, revelling in his anguish, laughing at Piper's failed attempts to distract him. "You felt the rush of power. You felt the thrill of your first kill. It made you feel strong, Aerrow. You _**are**_ strong Aerrow. You killed my Number One, now you take his place at my side."

"I can't...I didn't mean to...I don't...." Aerrow's breaths were little more than gasps as he finally tore his eyes away from the body and onto his blood stained hands. He gripped his head tightly, the blood adding to the redness of his hair, and put his head to his knees, shaking in denial with his eyes screwed up, willing them not to show him the images he couldn't ignore.

"Aerrow!" Piper screamed and banged on the shield, but nothing she did had any effect whatsoever.

"Join me, Aerrow." Master Cyclonis' voice was low and hissed, "Rosella is right here, and safe, and happy." She signalled to one of the many hidden doors and a guard pushed Rosella in, making her stumble. The old woman was shaking, and she glanced at Piper fearfully before looking at Aerrow with scared eyes. "I can take away all your problems Aerrow." Her voice went lower and seductive as she leant closer to Aerrow's hunched figure. "I can re-write the Sky Knight's Code."

Aerrow's head jerked up and he looked up her desperately, and fearfully. Master Cyclonis' eyes widened and a sinister smile curved the corners of her lips.

"I can change it Aerrow, and you will be a Sky Knight forever. I can keep Rosella happy for the rest of her life. I can bring your friends here, and keep them safe. All of them. Forever.

"All it takes is your signature."

The papers were in her hand again, and she was straightening up, Aerrow following her as if mesmerized. She stood straight and tall, eyes half lidded and her breathing heavy, as though the thought that ultimate power was almost within reach was sending her heart racing.

Master Cyclonis held out the papers to Aerrow and using her staff she summoned a quill.

"Aerrow you can't do this! She's lying!" Piper yelled through the glass desperately. Her wide eyes found Rosella's staring fearfully back at her. "Help him! Please!"

Aerrow's blood-covered hand reached out slowly to take the papers from Cyclonis, and she placed the quill in his outstretched hand. He looked at Cyclonis one more time before moving the nib of the quill towards the dotted line...

* * *

Suddenly a flash of crystal energy burst into the centre of Master Cyclonis' back. She toppled forwards and fell into Aerrow, knocking the quill out of his hand and sending the papers flying in all directions. Cyclonis' head hit the concrete floor and the red barrier between Piper and the action flickered and dissolved.

Piper leapt forwards and activated her staff, eyes directed at where the blast had come from, and was shocked when she saw Rosella standing there with a purple crystal from Cyclonis' throne glowing in her hand.

"The papers. Bring them here!" Rosella yelled hoarsely at Piper. A chocked back cry caught her attention, and Piper looked over at Aerrow to see him staring at her with haunted eyes.

"Piper...what am I meant to do?!"

He grabbed his hair and convulsed as his wide eyes flickered between her and the blood covering the floor. Everything was wrong! It was like he was trapped in a nightmare and he couldn't escape. Aerrow's hands clenched tight, pulling at his fiery hair. His head wheeled. He had to escape. But no, he couldn't. He had to help. Had to fight. Always fighting. Always fighting keep fighting. Don't stop. Don't stop don't slack. Don't fail. _Never._

Piper held out the papers to Rosella. She made to turn and run back to Aerrow but Rosella's frail arm reached out and grabbed her wrist.

"No I need your help!"

She pulled out two crystals from the arm of Master Cyclonis' throne and thrust one onto Piper's hand. The other one she held shakily, aimed and glowing at the documents. Piper followed suit.

"They're protected by Cyclonis. You've got to give it everything you've got."

Piper closed her eyes and let the crystal energy swarm around inside her. She could feel the barrier of crystal energy surrounding the papers, stopping any harm from coming to them. She pushed at the flaws in it, gently at first, until she found a crack. The energy from the glowing purple crystal in her hand buzzed and crackled. Piper threw the energy at the barrier, pushing at the crack, giving it everything she had. She could feel Rosella next to her, doing the same thing. Gradually she felt the energy starting to ebb, starting to slip away from her control. _No!_ With a gasp, Piper threw herself behind the energy and attacked the barrier one last time.

With a groan that echoed round in Piper's ears, the barrier shattered around the papers and dissolved into nothingness. The documents then burst into cold purple flames, jagged scratches tearing away at the writing until nothing was left but a few fluttering ashes.

Piper slumped back in relief and grabbed Rosella by the arm to stop her collapsing. But it wasn't over yet.

A scream, worse than anything in Piper's deepest darkest nightmares filled the room, the high-pitched shriek rebounding off walls, blasting into her face. It was an inhuman sound, spine-chilling, that made Piper's hair stand on end.

Master Cyclonis stood, terrible in her fury. Wide, crazed violet eyes almost black, lips pulled back in a snarl, hair whipping around her face, cloak billowing behind, and an aura of red and black energy surrounding her.

"Fools!" Her words struck Piper and Rosella like a blow, knocking them off their feet and shooting them several feet away from each other. "You pathetic, little, idiots! Do you think you have won, just because you got through my shield? Do you think this is over? This is just the beginning! And now neither of you will be here to see its great conclusion, when I am crowned Queen of Atmos!"

"No!" Aerrow was suddenly in front of Cyclonis, leaping at her, aiming for her throat with his bare hands.

He was lightning fast, but the energy around Master Cyclonis gave her a split-second of extra time to react. She flew up high above her throne, too far away for Aerrow to reach, and clicked her fingers. The staff on the ground shivered into life and zoomed into her claw-like hands. At the same time, the crystals that Piper and Rosella had been holding fixed themselves to each end of her staff.

"Don't try me, Aerrow." She warned menacingly, her anger showing through in her scowling face and the dark undertone to her voice. "Without me you're finished."

Piper saw Aerrow shrink away slightly, saw the memory of the Dark Ace's death eating away at him, saw it in his eyes, and then saw his eyes meet hers. She could see the pain in them, and the fear. _But there's something else…_It dawned on her slowly, very slowly, that there was a spark. For so long his eyes had been filled with fear and anger and doubt, dead, lifeless. But now…_"Aerrow?"_

This one word left her lips softly, and for the first time in what felt like years, the corners of Aerrow's lips tilted up as he looked at her.

"Judgment day, Aerrow." Cyclonis' harsh voice cut through the silence. "You've been trying to protect both your friends and the one person you consider family at the same time, but it doesn't work like that. I've been lenient with you, I haven't harmed the old woman, and I haven't hurt any of your friends."

Aerrow clenched his fists and stared up at Cyclonis. Surely she didn't mean…

"It's time to choose." There was no sneer on her face now. The sickening enjoyment that lit up her face while others were in distress was nowhere to be found. Only rage, and power, and evil was left. The dark undertone to her voice had completely taken over, leaving nothing even moderately human behind. The darkness surrounding her body was enveloping her form, stripping away even her human shape.

"Choose!" The swirling mass that was Master Cyclonis ordered. "Who will you attempt to save? The person who saved your life and cared for you as a child, or the person who is your friend, your teammate, the love of your life?"

Two huge orbs of black and red crystal energy formed in the air. They were so big they filled the room, and they begun spinning around each other, their cruel, taunting light casting shadows on the wall and over Aerrow's stricken face. They would fly straight and true, right between Rosella and Piper, until the very last second when they would split and charge towards each victim. There would be no escape. Even if Aerrow could somehow find a way to save one person, the other had to die.

"So who will it be, Aerrow? Friend or family? -

Where do your allegiances lie?"

Aerrow saw the darkness release the orbs as though in slow motion. The room went eerily silent as the most destructive force ever conjured in the whole of Atmos flew with deadly precision to the exact centre space between Piper and Rosella. Aerrow saw their eyes focus on the globe of raw energy, saw their mouths part with an identical scream, and saw that he couldn't choose between them. His family was dead, no matter how much he wished they weren't. But he had a new family. His friends _**were **_his family. All of his friends. They made him who he was today, every single one of them. And he couldn't lose another family.

- A moment of icy clarification -

And his legs were carrying him forwards faster than the lightning strike.

* * *

Piper's body slumped in surrender as she realised there was no hope. Any second now the orbs would split apart, and there would be no chance of survival. She felt anger coursing through her body. _I'm not ready to die!_ But the back of her mind welcomed the promise of no more pain, no more fear, no more sadness. She would be free of everything. And one day, she would see Aerrow again. She smiled as she mentally built up a picture of him; tall and strong and proud, daring eyes winking, a smile on his soft lips, red hair whipping around his face, leaning in to protect her-

Her eyes snapped open just in time to see Aerrow throw himself in front of the orbs...

* * *

**=D might have taken forever to write, but I'm so pleased with this chapter =D PLEAAASEEE REVIEWWW!!! **


	19. Destiny

**...I'm sorryyyy XD please nobody kill me XD and yes, I know this is appallingly short for such a long wait, but I thought it best to give you something to remind the readers that I'm alive and writing again =) I will try soooo hard to get a decent length chapter up ASAP, but I honestly don't know how I'm going from here to the ending that I want XD I'm just writing it as it comes =)**

**Enjoy!**

Storm Hawks- Where your allegiances lie

Chapter 19 - Destiny

Aerrow could feel the rush of power surging around him as he ran. It was in his bones, in his blood, every part of him pulsing with it. It was the Lightning Strike, only it was more, because he had finally accepted what he was meant to do, what he was destined for. _This is what I'm here for._ Aerrow thought calmly as he was thrown towards the glowing orbs. _I'm not a ruler, not a King, I don't know how to. But I know how to protect. _Into his head came the words from the final clause in the Sky Knight's code, and they were his last words.

"To the people of Atmos, I swear to serve and obey, and willingly give my life to defend and protect."

* * *

"I'm out of juice!"

Finn swivelled in the blaster seat to look over at Junko, who turned to him with the same scared expression.

"Me too!"

Finn jumped out of the seat and ran up to the front of the Condor. Stork was shaking in his skin as he piloted the ship, avoiding as many blasts as he could. There were just too many.

"We're so doomed. Doomed, totally, no way out of it, no chance of survival whatsoever!" For once, Finn couldn't think of anything to say. Stork was right.

"But everyone's still here, we're still fighting. It's not over yet." Junko's huge eyes pleaded with Finn, begging for him to say something that would give them hope. Nothing came.

"I'm sorry buddy, I'm no Aerrow." Finn turned away, ashamed, when a low rumble made the Condor shake even more than Stork. Finn grabbed a rail, but it stopped just as quickly as it had started.

He looked at Junko, who was also clinging onto a rail.

"What was-?"

"Um, you might want to have a look at this." Stork was staring straight ahead at Cyclonia. Finn moved closer to the window to look.

As he looked on, another surge of energy rattled the ship. It came from the heart of Cyclonia, where a huge black and red orb of energy was spreading out, sending out violent pulses of energy which rattled every ship and skimmer surrounding it for leagues.

The sheer size of it had stopped all movement, everyone was frozen in place, all fighting ceased, as Talons and Sky Knights Squadrons alike watched the mounting energy spread.

In one terra shuddering movement, the black and red were separated by a beam of bright blue energy that soared into the sky with an ear piercing shriek.

Finn covered his ears from the high pitched scream and squinted against the light. It looked familiar, but totally alien at the same time, like an old friend that had changed over years...

"Aerrow?" Finn yelled at the Lightning Strike, his voice breaking with the force of his scream.

* * *

Piper's brain wasn't working.

Everything was silent, which for a start off, was totally wrong. Where was Cyclonis' scream of rage? Where was the sound of gunfire from the battle outside? Where was the sizzling of the crystal energy, about to blast her into oblivion?

She cracked open her eyes and squinted into the darkness. A faint, blue haze clung to the edges of her vision, and the rest of it was obscured by thick dust. She coughed. The sound echoed all around, reverberating off unknown mediums.

As Piper staggered upright, she was surprised to find herself in one piece, let alone alive. It felt as if she had fallen a long way off her Heliscooter: every muscle in her body ached, she could feel numerous cuts on her face and bare arms, and exhaustion clawed at her mind and eyes.

She coughed again. Waving her hand in front of her face to clear the dust, Piper's eyes started to adjust to the hazy light. The outline of Cyclonia's throne room started to appear and she was shocked to see that while the outer walls remained standing, everything in the centre had been blown to smithereens. It looked like a bomb had exploded in the middle of the room, turning everything to dust, except the only living thing in the room, Piper.

_But I wasn't alone._ Piper's sluggish thinking took a moment to understand the meaning behind the thought.

"Aerrow?" Piper inhaled a lungful of dust and her voice rasped.

"Rosella?" She forced her coughing to subside when a faint groan caught her attention. A small figure stirred a few feet to her left. Stumbling, Piper moved closer and knelt down.

Rosella pushed herself up to a sitting position, coughing as Piper had done and blinking owlishly. Her voice croaked and she had to clear her throat before asking, "What happened?"

"I...I don't know."

Her own answer scared her. Piper looked more slowly around their surrounding.

A second figure just a few feet away from where they where kneeling caught her attention. With a jolt, Piper realised it was the unmoving form of Master Cyclonis. The side of her head facing Piper and Rosella was black and red, the unmistakeable signs of crystal energy sparking around on her cheek. She was dead, killed by her own spell. If that hadn't been enough to kill her, the metal pillar emerging from her chest surely was.

The dust was starting to settle now. The hazy blue light seemed to be coming from outside, just showing through the slit windows. It became brighter as the air cleared and Piper could see a sizeable chunk of the roof had been blasted outwards and the light was streaming in from there. As she watched, a crack appeared from the hole and snaked its way along the roof with an ominous creaking sound. Piper pulled Rosella to her feet and they watched the crack with mounting horror.

With a tremendous groan, the roof of the throne room split and the beams holding it up shattered. Digging deep for a last modicum of energy, Piper grabbed Rosella and sprinted for the door as the room around them crumbled.

When she reached the door Piper flung it open and took a step forwards. She suddenly realised that there wasn't a forwards.

The palace was gone. Jagged rocks waited hundred of feet below them, with only empty space between them.

Piper swallowed a scream and felt Rosella's arm tighten around hers to stop her falling into the abyss. She took a step back and turned around to see the ceiling tumble to the ground. The floor beneath them shook and most of the throne room vanished, falling down into the wastelands. Piper glimpsed Cyclonis' body falling, and somewhere in the back of her mind the realisation of what had been accomplished hit home, but at the moment, she was more occupied with the fact that she and Rosella were standing in a doorway with a only few paces of floor surrounding them, apparently floating in midair.

But this wasn't quite true. As she looked around, Piper saw a blue orb of energy surrounding them. It looked like this was what was keeping them in the air.

A small gasp from Rosella made Piper turn to the old woman. She followed her gaze up to the sky, and her heart leapt into her throat.

* * *

**There we go =) tell me what you think, I'll update asap, promise! **


	20. An End

**Back again, as I said I would be =) hereeee we go! Enjoy!**

Storm Hawks- Where your allegiances lie

Chapter 20 – An End

Piper's heart jumped into her throat as she looked up. Hovering in midair, just out of reach, was Aerrow.

But it wasn't Aerrow as she knew him. He was unconscious, bruised and burnt, his uniform torn so badly that most of his usually tanned skin was visible, now chalky white, with a dark stain seeping through on his chest. The blue glow was emitting from him: pouring out from his skin like water and running into the blue orb keeping them suspended in the air. His body was hanging loosely in the air, head lolling forwards onto his chest.

As if taking a deep breath, his chest suddenly rose and his back arched gracefully, arms splaying out to his sides and his head rising to the heavens. His eyes flickered, and more blue light streamed through his eyelashes.

Piper was frozen in position, terrified and entranced. She could feel Rosella trembling next to her and clutching at her arm. Her heart kept her eyes glued onto Aerrow's pale face, glowing eerily in the strange haze. When his eyes flickered open more widely she called out to him.

His eyes seemed to turn to her: it was impossible to tell, they were shining blue orbs. His body tilted slightly, and his mouth opened...

As if an explosion happened inside him, his body jerked and blue light streamed out of him more strongly than before. He opened his mouth in a silent scream and energy poured out. His body jerked and threw his head back, arms wide and back arching.

"Aerrow!"

The light was reaching an almost unbearable brightness, accompanied by low yell of pain that sounded far away. The sound got louder and louder, like it was getting closer, and soon it was surrounding them, echoing around inside the orb, and Piper realised that, like the light, it was coming from Aerrow.

She couldn't think. She was blinded and deafened, but one thought lodged itself firmly in her mind: _Get to Aerrow._

Piper squinted through her eyelashes and could just see the outline of Aerrow's floating figure, hanging as though on a cross. She bent her knees and leapt forwards into the air.

The force of her jump carried her further than normally possible. She stretched out her hand and called out to her Sky Knight.

Her hand found his arm and she pulled herself closer to him, finding herself floating in the air next to him. He was ice cold to the touch, and the moment she made contact with his skin an electric shock ran up her arm and through the rest of her body, but she held on tight.

"Aerrow? Aerrow can you hear me?"

He didn't seem to have heard her, but the electricity her touch had caused seemed to jolt him. His eyes flinched closed and his mouth screwed up in the everlasting yell of agony that was ripping through him. Words started to form on his lips, grief and regret and pain and anguish pouring out of his mouth in torrents. Piper caught only snatches of them.

"Dad...Mum...I'm so sorry...so sorry...all my fault...mine...fire...burning...blood...help...help me Rosella...my fault...

"Piper..." She opened her eyes by a fraction to look up into his face. "Piper...my Piper...so sorry...can't...I can't...Piper..."

"I'm here." Piper wrapped her arms around his chest, ignoring the electric shocks building up. "I'm here, Aerrow."

He took a shuddering gasp and the light suddenly started to dim around his body. Its flow slowed out from him and it gathered at the very edge of the blue orb.

He opened his eyes fully and their light blinded Piper. She closed hers quickly, watching the light dim behind her eyelids. When she risked squinting through her eyelashes, she could see Aerrow's eyes just a hands-span away from hers. The blinding blue light was shrinking and fading, his eyes bursting into green as it spread like tendrils through his irises.

He blinked at her, pain and confusion reflected in his eyes, but warmth was there, and something more, fierce and fiery.

"Piper..." His breath was no more than a whisper. "...I love you..."

Piper took a sharp breath in.

And the world shattered.

* * *

She was in free fall. She drew in a breath to scream, but was stopped when she looked up and saw the blue orb springing into Aerrow like an elastic band. It raced towards him and engulfed his form, swallowing him in blinding blue light. Piper caught a glimpse of a familiar ship charging towards her, before the light exploded out of Aerrow and spread across the battlefield. The force of the wave spun Piper round in the air, and a yell that tore her heart in two flew with it out for leagues.

* * *

"We've got you!"

Finn's cry was muffled in Piper's ear as she landed in his and Junko's arms. Her head span. They put her gently on her feet and it took her only a second to regain her balance.

"Rosella-"

"Is inside."

"Aerrow-"

Her head snapped up to search the sky, which was a pure, clear blue. A scream tore from her lips.

"AERROW!"

His limp body had hovered in the air for a millisecond, his back curving and head and arms raised up above him like praying to the gods, before falling backwards and tumbling down, down, down to earth.

"Stork catch him!" Piper screamed, pushing past Finn's cautionary arms and reaching for the rail, as though to throw herself after him. He wasn't much higher up than them, but he was suddenly far away, gaining speed as he fell.

The engine of the Condor groaned as Stork pushed it to the max, all his weight on the steering wheel to push it forwards faster. He angled the ship down slightly, hoping to reach Aerrow in time to catch him.

"Go!" Piper's shout was joined by Finn, Junko and Radarr's cries, all urging the ship to go faster.

They sped towards Aerrow with bated breath. When they were just a second away, Stork pulled sharply on the brakes to stop right underneath him.

Aerrow's limp form fell onto the front of the condor with a sickening crunch. The force of his fall rolled him over several times, taking him dangerously close to the edge. He lay on his front and didn't stir.

"Wait." Finn told Piper, grabbing her wrist as she tried to leap over the rail to get to Aerrow. She glared at him, but something commanding in his voice stopped her and allowed him to pull her away and jump over the rail himself.

He landed lightly and moved carefully over to Aerrow, trying not to rock the ship and send Aerrow overboard, taking shaky breaths. When Finn reached him he leapt forwards and grabbed his friends arm, pulling him away from the edge and rolling him onto his front. With wide eyes he took in the growing blood stain on his chest.

Finn quickly checked for broken bones and was relieved to feel none, then put his head under Aerrow's arm and dragged him upright. He was scared at how light Aerrow felt, wondering when the last time he had eaten had been, but the dead weight was still heavy and Finn staggered back to the others.

"Careful." He said as Junko reached down to lift him safely onto the deck.

"_Aerrow." _Piper's voice cracked as she knelt down next to his limp form. "Aerrow, oh no, please."

He lay unmoving on the floor. The talon uniform was ripped and burnt all over him, showing pale clammy skin underneath where he wasn't scalded. Cuts ran right down his bare arms and chest and his legs were bloody. Blotchy bruises coloured his arms and sides, the shape of a hob-nailed boot embedded on his stomach from where the Dark Ace had kicked him repeatedly. His hair was limp and matted with blood, and his mouth hung loosely open.

But the worst was hidden. Piper pulled away the last tatters of his shirt with shaking hands to reveal the deep gauge in his chest, right over his heart.

The boys gave cries of horror at the wound. Radarr clutched Finn's leg and whimpered with terrified eyes. As Stork appeared at Junko's side he started to ask, "How is-", but trailed off as he laid eyes on Aerrow.

"Aerrow..."

"Dude, no..."

"_Aerrow..."_

Words eluded Piper. She didn't know what had happened, what the light was and had done; all she knew was that Aerrow was lying before her, silent and unmoving.

And he had said 'I love you'.

Her breath caught in her throat at this.

"Aerrow." She whispered. "Aerrow, I don't know, if what you said was for me." Tears started to well up in her eyes as she looked at him: her friend, her Sky Knight, bleeding and broken. "But...Please don't leave me. You can't, you just can't." Her voice became stronger. "We need you. The Storm Hawks need you. _**I **_need you." She clutched at his chest, warm blood covering her hands and front as she leaned towards him and her voice rose even higher and louder. "_**Please! **_I need you! I...I _need_ you...I-

"...I love you!"

She stared at him. He was deathly pale, and didn't stir.

A line of blood trickled determinedly down his face. Piper wiped it with trembling fingers as tears poured down her face.

Her entire body was shaking. She lay on his chest and let the shudders rack her body. His chest was totally still, and she couldn't feel a pulse.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and guessed it was Finn's.

But she didn't care. Nothing mattered anymore. The faint sounds of people moving closer together surrounded her, until they were all connected, hand to shoulder, arm to arm. _He did it for us. He loved us, and he saved us. _Piper thought somewhere in the back of her mind. _And we love him. And I love him._

The tears flowing down her cheeks gathered on her chin, then one teardrop fell onto the crystal necklace around Piper's neck, lying over Aerrow's heart.

It began to glow.

* * *

**dun dun dunnnn! =( =( =( what do you think?**


	21. A Beginning

Storm Hawks- Where your allegiances lie

Chapter 21 – A Beginning

_He could feel everything_

_ His senses were heightened, smells and sounds bursting out at him from all directions, and the bright__est white pouring into his eyes._

_ He was floating, hovering in a hole in the universe, but he was being compressed from all sides at the same time, as though his consciousness was stuck in the vacuum of space. It was crushing him, unbearable, inescapable, inevitable._

_He tried to breathe, but the pressure was too great. His lungs, if they existed, burnt and cried out for air. He tried to move an arm. He couldn't feel it._

_ Feeling slipped from his grasp. His sense of being, existing, faded. His consciousness retreated into his mind, leaving only the senses of sight, smell, sound, behind. Taste was metallic, and__ growing dull._

_The pressure built up even more, squeezing his mind into the smallest possible area. Smell faded, taste vanished, sound turned to nothing. The white filling his eyes dimmed, growing black, turning to nothing._

**So this is how it ends.**

_The thought echoed round space._

_ His mind rebelled._

_ His senses stretched out, pushing back against the mounting pressure, fighting, failing._

_Then another thought intruded on the pressure, and everything froze, the pressure stilled, his senses fell silent, and his mind processed the voice with which it spoke._

**I love you.**

_Memories. Years of memories. Recent memories. Half forgotten memories. Good, bad, bright memories. Flooded the space. They came like light, brighter than it had been before. His senses let them all out, then took them all back in, reliving every sight, smell, taste, sound, touch. They brought warmth to his mind, which spread out from him, bringing back the feeling of a body, pushing back the biting cold pressure._

_ His lungs returned__..._

_..._ he took a breath_._

* * *

The covers rustled around him as the floor shifted and his head swam. He lay still with his eyes closed for a long time, listening to the rasp of his breathing, harsh in his throat.

Aerrow gradually cracked his eyes open. The soft blanket of darkness was gentle to his tender eyes, and they adjusted slowly to the night around him.

He was in his room, on his bed, on the Condor. Aerrow's head hurt trying to figure out how he had got there, but it hurt. So he stopped.

Raising himself up on one arm, Aerrow let out a gasp of pain as his arm gave way and he fell back to his bed, head whirling. His stomach clenched as he resisted the urge to retch. He lay still until he could open his eyes again without wanting to throw up.

Moving more cautiously, Aerrow eased himself up to a sitting position with a drawn out groan. Every muscle in his body ached and was screaming at him to take notice. In his mind he vaguely remembered many fights and assumed he'd taken too much of a beating, _Not for the first time,_ he thought grimly.

Aerrow took a deep, steadying breath before inching his legs towards the edge of his bed and lowering them carefully out, aware of the burning sensation in his thighs and many lumps and bumps that indicated bruises and probably many cuts. It took him another few minutes to recover from that small movement.

_What's wrong with me? _It wasn't long before he gave up even trying to follow the smallest thread of thoughts, so Aerrow turned off his mind and built up his strength to make it to the door.

It took him yet another ten minutes to cross the miniscule distance from his bed to the door, but he slumped against it heavily and clenched his eyes shut to block out the spinning and his teeth shut to stop the vomit. He felt weak and shivery, like he was recovering from a bad bout of sky-flu, and all his body ached with a deep and crushing pain.

Head spinning, Aerrow pressed the button to open the door, and began the agonising journey to the bridge.

* * *

They were silent.

Everyone was doing small, mindless tasks: Finn polishing his crossbow; Stork watching the dials on the wheel; Junko spinning a spanner in his hands; Radarr staring out of the window: Piper rolling up scrolls.

The sound of the bridge doors opening was loud in the silence...

Piper turned her head and felt her heart leap into her throat.

She stood up slowly, as though in a dream, her eyes widening and lips slightly parted as she stared at the figure in the doorway. As she took the first dreamy steps towards him she could sense the rest of the Storm Hawks turning to see him, but they were all in slow motion.

Piper stood in front of Aerrow and looked into his eyes, his crystal clear, emerald green eyes, and he looked back into her deep, knowing orange ones.

A smile lit up his face.

"_Aerrow!_" Piper squealed and threw her arms around his neck, a wide smile breaking through her stony face.

Suddenly the world erupted into sound. Aerrow felt as if a battle had burst out around him! Everyone was screaming and yelling, and to his sensitive ears all sounds were amplified ten-fold. The pressure of Piper's arms around his neck made his head spin even more and his knees buckled abruptly.

"Whoops! Back up guys! Get him to the couch!"

Arms guided Aerrow to the comfort and security of the familiar couch and he collapsed onto it, his head floating in clouds, but still aware of the sweet scent of Piper's perfume right next to him.

When he could see straight again, Aerrow blinked in the bright light and slowly looked around at the faces of his team mates, his family.

They were all smiling widely at him, arms around each other, enclosing them all in a tight circle. Despite the confusion in his fuzzy brain, Aerrow felt a sense of pride and comfort in the warmth of his friends' smiles.

"Wha...what..." Aerrow coughed to clear his throat; it felt as though it hadn't been used for years, "What, happened...?"

It was Finn who answered.

"It's over." His carefully controlled voice couldn't hide the fire dancing behind his blue eyes. "Cyclonia, the Talons, Dark Ace, Master Cyclonis...gone!" A shiver ran around the circle of arms enclosing Aerrow. "It's all over! We did it!"

"You did it!" Junko interrupted. "We saw it from all the way out here. We _**felt**_it!The whole condor shook, and the skimmers just all stopped moving, and then you, with the light and..!" The wallop jumped excitedly and the Storm Hawks laughed as the ship rocked.

Aerrow however, screwed up his face. The memories were there but they were...fuzzy. Everything was blurry and disjointed. Small snatches leapt out at Aerrow, clarifying a few points, while rousing a whole host of questions.

"Rosella?"

"She's here, she's safe." Stork's lips curled up in what was almost a smile. "Apart from any number of various diseases that so far have no visible effects that result in grievous bodily harm so we can't even detect them that she could possibly have but we don't know about...she's fine, too."

Aerrow let out a breath that he didn't realise he had been holding. _She's safe. Everyone's safe._ "It's...it's over...?"

His team beamed.

Aerrow suddenly screwed up his face in pain.

"What is it?" Piper leant forwards, her hands cupping his face.

"I..." Aerrow's voice was rasping, "I attacked you. The crystal-"

"We know about the crystal, Aerrow." Piper reassured him. "It wasn't your fault, it was Cyclonis, we don't blame you at all. But she's gone now! The blue light, it like, froze the orbs in place, then it sent them back at her and it...it destroyed her. She's gone."

"I was gone."

Silence fell like lead on the group. All eyes were on Aerrow, his head bowed and eyes half lidded, with Piper's hand resting on his cheek. Aerrow slowly put his hand on top of hers.

"I was, gone." He repeated, raising his eyes to Piper's. "I wasn't here anymore, I wasn't...I was gone. But you brought me back."

Piper held his gaze, tears forming in the corners of her eyes and starting to drip down her cheeks.

"We thought we'd lost you. You were...dead." Her voice cracked. "You...you used all your energy. Like a crystal. And then..."

"I heard your voice."

"...what?"

"I heard your voice, in the silence. You said..."

Piper bit her lip as the tears fell. "My necklace, the one you gave me, it, it started to glow. It was on your chest and...you started to glow too. It was blue light, again, it went into you, and you came back!" The Storm Hawks came closer together, tears dripping down each one of their faces.

Aerrow knew there was more pain to deal with. He knew there were things he had to sort out. But for this moment, he closed his eyes and let the tears roll out, as his family embraced him and shared in his pain, and his triumph.

* * *

**He's aliiiiiiiiiiiive! =D Come one, you didn't really think I'd kill off my favourite character of all time did you? Sure I love putting him in lots of pain and difficult situations, but he's gotta live at the end of it! And talking about the end of it, we're alllmost there =O**

**Read and Review!**

**!~A4E~!**


	22. Epilogue

Storm Hawks- Where your allegiances lie

Chapter 22 – **Epilogue**

Aerrow remained silent with his head bowed, as he stood before the Sky Knight Council.

"He's a hero!"

"You can't deny what he's done!"

"We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him!"

The cuts were healing slowly, bruises fading away, his muscles regaining strength with each day; he would be scarred forever, but nowhere near as scarred as in his heart.

"The fact remains the same: he killed."

The cries of protest continued, but still Aerrow said nothing. He stood silent and still, conserving strength, waiting.

Piper slammed her fist down.

"There must be **something** you can do!"

The Council fell silent at last. The angry shouts quietened and all eyes turned to Piper.

"The law must be upheld." The Council frowned and looks of frustration crossed each face. "Even we can't escape the law."

"But you can change it!" Piper argued. "You **are **the law! Surely there is something! You can't execute him!"

The other members of the Storm Hawks began their furious tirade again, and in no time the whole room was ablaze with shouts from all the other squadrons and civilians.

Piper's eyes flickered over to Aerrow where he stood in resolute silence. Her heart ached as she saw the internal pain behind his stony face. He would willingly pay the punishment for his crimes.

"What crimes?" She shouted, silencing the hall for a second time. "He's done nothing wrong. He fulfilled his duty as a Sky Knight: he rid Atmos of the two most dangerous people ever to live. That is no crime!"

"That's enough Piper."

Everyone turned at Aerrow's voice. He remained stood in his position, only lifting his head to look at the council.

"I broke the Sky Knight's code. I will pay the consequences. What would you have me do?"

* * *

Piper shivered and rubbed her arms as she stood on the old hill that hadn't been visited for over a decade. The sun was low in the sky, just breaking the horizon to reveal a bright new day. A revving sound behind her made Piper turn.

Aerrow walked with a slight limp, a bag slung across his back and leading a slender skimmer in bike form out of a concealed doorway. He propped it up on the stand and stored the bag in the holder before walking over to stand next to Piper and watch the sunrise. She didn't take her eyes off him.

"Is that...?"

Aerrow nodded to the sunrise. "My dad's skimmer. The one he flew on to get here from the far side. Far as I know, it's the only one that can. The Council want me to be the...The King is above the law, but my Dad was the King from the far side. I have to be a...there, before I can here."

Piper said nothing.

Aerrow gestured to the hidden door behind him.

"There's a lot of stuff in there. Guess you'd call some of them 'royal artefacts'."

"Only you can open the door. They'll be safe here until you come back for them."

Aerrow turned to face Piper and met her blazing eyes, tears pricking the corners, but not falling. He put a hand to her cheek.

"I have to go. I have to...see it, myself. I'm...I'm a King. Of here and of the far side. It's half of me."

"And here is the other half of you."

Aerrow smiled and brought up his other hand, caressing her delicate face with both hands. "I will come back. I promise."

"And I'll wait for you." Piper's voice was strong despite her sparkling eyes. She smiled and gazed deep into the emerald eyes she loved so much. "Be careful, wont you?"

Aerrow tilted his head and grinned at her. "Aren't I always?" He chuckled as she let out an un-willing giggle.

"What about the others? What about the Storm Hawks?"

"I'm not big on goodbyes."

His eyes smouldered. Gently, he leant forwards and kissed her.

Piper wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer as he wrapped his own arms around her waist. The sun rose as the long kiss broke and they remained wrapped in each other's arms. Aerrow leant his forehead against hers.

"Piper, I love you."

"And I love you."

Aerrow flew into the distance as Piper watched from the hilltop, waving, as the sun burst across the sky and lit up the free world of Atmos.

* * *

_One year later_

_ Piper pulled her jacket tighter as the wind buffeted the old hill. __The sun was just rising over the horizon._

_ She waited, watching the sunrise, until the day was fully begun._

_ Then she turned away to start the walk back down the hill._

_ The faint sound of a skimmer reached her ears, and she turned back to the sun._

_ A skimmer landed a few feet in front of her. A man in a patched uniform stepped off and stood strong and tall. A gold crown rested on his spiky red hair._

_ Emerald green eyes glinted and white teeth flashed in a mischievous grin.__ Piper smiled. _**"Aerrow."**

******THE END**  


* * *

**First story = Completed! Wow that's sad, and exciting =D**

**Thank you so much to all the dedicated readers who have given me lots of precious feedback and support, hope you enjoyed this as much as I did!**

**Keep on writing!**

**!~A4E~!**


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